Of Jumper Skirts, Tea Parties, and Lace
by mochichidango
Summary: A story where the lives of a lolita girl and a visual kei boy are suddenly intertwined with the help of lolitas, gyarus, and VK friends. Honestly, it was only supposed to be a normal meet-up at Harajuku. /SasuSaku\ /AU\
1. Of Meet Ups

**Before you read:** Though it is only a suggestion, I believe you will be able to understand the story more if you knew about the area of Harajuku and it's culture there. Specifically the youth that meets there and wears different styles of clothing.

**Terms to know:** _lolita, visual kei, gyaru_. If you are not interested in the Japanese fashion or music scene, or don't know anything about it, this story will be extremely difficult for you to understand.

Feel free to PM me with any questions. Enjoy Reading!

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me. The song used also belongs to **_**香奈**__**-MOON-kana.**_

* * *

Enter: The Lolita Handbook

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(**Chapter 1**)

(_Of Meet-Ups_)

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WELCOME!

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_**Of Jumper Skirts, Tea Parties, and Lace**_

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[_**Lolita**_]

_I'm alone  
the truth is  
I want to say it  
A frilly skirt  
I miss you  
I miss you_

[_**香奈**__**-MOON-kana**__]_

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* * *

She was standing there. Just standing, waiting at _Meiji- Jingumae_ Station for the Chiyoda line to arrive. She was a _Shibuya_ girl after all.

Though she could easily walk to _Harajuku_, she preferred not to. She really didn't want to ruin her new Vivienne Westwood Rocking Horse Ballerina shoes too much. Though expensive, as in the words of Momoko, they were "absolutely essential for full Lolitahood." It wasn't like she memorized every line from her favorite novel, _Kamikaze Girls_, for nothing.

It was Sunday, and that meant going to _Jingu _Bridge to meet with fellow Lolitas. It was a tradition in some sorts. Besides, it was a great opportunity to not only socialize and meet new people, but to also buy some new accessories and clothing for future Lolita meet-ups. _Harajuku_ wasn't just a place to get together, but a large shopping district as well.

She especially adored _Takeshita-dori_, one of the main shopping streets in _Harajuku_. There were so many stores that catered to not only the Lolita fashion, but to others as well, like Visual Kei. What she loved most though, was how full of life it always was. So many young people gathered there, and all you could hear was the talking and laughter of the youth. She really enjoyed how lively and full it always was every Sunday.

To make sure she didn't draw too much attention to herself, she made sure to wear a casual Lolita outfit. She would have to wait until she arrived at _Harajuku_ to change into her fully clad Lolita dress.

As she was waiting, she decided to double-check her outfit for that day. In her bag, she brought a Cyndrina Rossa one-piece dress from BABY, THE STARS SHINE BRIGHT. It was a pure white cotton dress with intricate lacings on the edges of the sleeves, the bottom of the dress, and the inside of the collar. There was a small pink bow aligned right in the middle of the chest area with yet another bow, though white with pink flowers on them, right below just where the waistline was. Leading down, there was a pattern of pink flowers cascading to near the end of the dress, where another pink flower border lined the edges of it. With the help of her white Tulle panier underneath, her dress would have a cute bell-shape to it. She preferred the bell-shape to the A-line because it looked cuter. From what she remembered, the dress would end right above her knees. She also had a matching white lacey parasol and a pink heart-shaped bag with a bow to complete the look.

But from it all, her favorite part of her outfit was the hair. Like most Sundays, she always wore a pink wig to complete her _ama-loli_ look, sweet Lolita. The hair was light pink and straight and reached to about her waistline. Today, she had an especially cute, but rather large, white bow to complement the pink bow she had on the dress. Truthfully, from all the Lolita styles, the Sweet Lolita look was definitely her favorite.

Though in all honesty, she really wanted to dye her hair pink but could not. Alas, being a high school student did have its disadvantages; her school did not permit such things for they thought it made students look sloppy. But living in the Lolita lifestyle, she had to be polite and respectful. So in the end, she obeyed the rules and just waited for every Sunday to arrive so she could wear her pink wig. Thank goodness she only had one more year left in high school; maybe college would be better.

To make the change easier, she already came wearing white stockings underneath her casual Lolita jumper skirt, and had the strings from her white rocking horse shoes tied around and all the way up her legs. It would take less time to change, which was better for her.

Sundays at _Harajuku_ was a great break from the monotonous uniforms and suits they all had to wear to school and work. It was a day she could feel free and just be herself without the ridicule of those older than her. It was no wonder the youth always gathered every Sunday at _Harajuku_ just to express themselves through their clothes. She thought it was absolutely brilliant.

Finally, the _Chiyoda_ line arrived and she got on. At most it would be about five minutes to get to _Harajuku_. As she waited, she decided to message her friends using her _keitai_ that she would be arriving shortly. It was very inappropriate to talk on the phone in public areas, like the train. So, she put her flip phone to "manners mode" so her phone would be on silent and not disrupt anyone near her.

The five minutes passed by quickly and she soon was in _Harajuku_. She quickly got off and right adjacent to her exit was _Harajuku_ Station. She quickly crossed the street and entered into the main entrance. To her right she found the bathrooms where most people went into to change into their outrageous clothing. She entered the bathrooms and found an empty stall. From there she changed out of her casual Lolita clothes and into her one-piece dress.

To get to _Jingu_ Bridge was about a twelve-minute walk. It was located near the Meiji Shrine area. Though it always took her a bit longer, since all the tourists and shoppers crowded the streets, she always managed to arrive on time.

She was Haruno Sakura, a Lolita hailing from _Shibuya_, finally ready to go to her meet-up.

* * *

"Hey it's Kana!"

"Over here Kana!"

"Guys, as much as I'm flattered to hear that, I'm not Kana!" she laughed out.

"We know that Sakura-chan, but she's like your idol! And the pink hair was all thanks to her," said a blonde, blue-eyed girl.

Her name was Yamanaka Ino and she was Sakura's best friend. They've been close since childhood even though they were completely different. Since they both lived in Shibuya, and went to the same school, they've gotten closer though it wasn't always that way. Ino was always confident and loud and had lots of friends. But it only took one incident for Sakura and Ino to become friends despite their dissimilarities. However, Ino was more rebellious in not only her personality, but her appearance as well.

"Well, that's true Ino. But honestly, please call me by my name, I'm not cosplaying Kana," she replied back.

"All right, if that's what you want," Ino giggled back.

"Well, it's really good to see you guys! Why hello there Hinata-chan! You are looking very cute in your GothLoli outfit today," Sakura complimented.

"W-w-why t-t-thank you S-Sakura-chan," the black straight-haired girl answered. She had on a cute headband that had a black ribbon with white lacings around the edges. She was also wearing a black one-piece lace frill ribbon pinafore dress from _Metamorphose temps de fille_. It had a giant bow in the middle of the chest with buttons going down to the waist area. Ruffles and small bows cascaded down the dress and ended to just above her knees. The bottom of her dress was very fluffy, probably due to her pannier. On the inside of the dress, she wore a white long-sleeved button down blouse. For her legs, she wore white cotton knee high socks with ruffles at the top and for her knee. She also had on black ribbon strap shoes with a huge bow on the toe area. To end things off, she held a cute black parasol with white lace trimmings to match the bow on her head.

Her name was Hyuuga Hinata, one of Sakura's closets friends. They met at a Lolita meet-up also at _Jingu_ Bridge. Though it was hard at first to talk to Hinata, because she was so shy, Sakura continued to persist and soon succeeded. From that, Sakura was able to break some barriers down, resulting in their now close friendship. Though they didn't attend the same school, they e-mail each other often and see each other every Sunday.

"Hey, what about me?" Ino inquired.

"Ino, you're a _gyaru_. Aren't you supposed to be going to your Gal Circle?"

"Hey, just because I like the _Himegyaru _style, doesn't mean I can't hang out with you girls!" Ino pouted.

Like most _Himegyarus,_ Ino had long hair that was curled and fluffed. There was an indigenous crown placed right on top of her fluffy hair, one of the key signs she was a _Himegyaru_. She had on a shining silver chocker necklace for the "bling bling effect," it matched her tiara. She also wore a strapless white dress with three bows running down the center. White laced ruffles fell off her hips and ended to the top of her knees. She had on clear stockings with some white Cinderella high heels to match. And to complete her outfit, she wore some white gloves that reached to her elbows. Though many have confused _Himegyarus_ to be Lolitas, they were completely different. The only exception, however, would be for _Hime Lolitas_ because _Himegyarus_ influenced many of their clothes.

"Okay girls, settle down! Yamanaka has a point. I mean, just because I like the _bosozoku_ style doesn't mean I can't hang out with you girls too!" shouted a brown haired girl.

That girl's name was Tenten, a _gyaru_ that Ino met at a Gals Circle and became close with. Sakura met Tenten through Ino, and although they weren't as close, like her and Hinata, Sakura still considered Tenten to be part of her group of true friends. Though she was quite skeptical at first in believing Ino was friends with Tenten, because Tenten was not girly or the same type of _gyaru_ as Ino, she finally understood after getting to know her. Although Tenten was violent and liked weapons, she gave off a protective "_onee-chan_" feeling which was quite comforting. She was a year older as well so she had an independent charm to her. And because she looked like a _yanki_, people didn't mess with their group.

Today she was sporting a white _tokko-fuku_, a military type overcoat. She even had a bandaged torso underneath to really give off a gang member look. She also wore loose white baggy pants to match her military overcoat, and black combat boots to end with it. Her brown dyed hair was slicked back and she wore red lipstick to really draw attention.

"T-t-they're right S-Sakura-chan," stuttered Hinata.

"Well, I guess that's true. This isn't a Lolita meet-up to be specific. Besides, its _Harajuku_, just because I'm a Lolita doesn't mean I only have to hang out with Lolitas," Sakura nodded her head.

"I mean, Momoko from _Kamikaze Girls_ was best friends with Ichigo and she was in a _bosozoku_," she continued on thoughtfully.

"That's right Sakura! Ah, I love it when you bring up Ichigo. I mean she was the only reason why I watched that movie with you," Tenten chuckled back.

"But you have to admit, it was a good movie. You should read the book too; I think you would enjoy it!" Sakura suggested.

"Like she would waste her time reading a book, Sakura-chan," Ino scoffed while rolling her eyes.

"L-l-let's try t-t-to be n-nice everyone. _Onegai-shimasu_!" Hinata pleaded.

"Aw, we can never resist you, Hinata-chan, if you ask us like that!" Ten-ten smiled and smothered the little GothLoli into her arms.

Everyone laughed together as they formed a circle to hug Hinata. In _Harajuku_, so many types of people became friends. Sakura's group was just an example of that.

"Oops sorry girlies, me and Tenten have to go. We can't be late to our Gal Circle! I'll send you guys an e-mail later!" Ino waved good-bye.

"Ja!" Ten-ten gave a small salute as they both walked off.

"Well Hinata-chan, I guess it's just you and me. Let's go meet some other Lolita girls; maybe we can learn some new things about sewing and embroidery!" Sakura shouted excitedly.

Hinata gave a little nod as they continued walking around the bridge. Finally, they spotted two Lolita's talking; one was quite loud while the other just nodded her head in response.

"W-What do you t-t-think S-Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Well if you want, we can go make friends with them. That one girl doesn't appear to be living the Lolita lifestyle though."

"A-All Lolitas don't n-need to be l-l-living the l-lifestyle to b-b-be a Lolita," Hinata whispered out.

"That's true. But there could be a chance that she might be rude. The Lolitas who choose to live the lifestyle are always polite to people they do not know. Plus, they welcome newcomers freely. I'm actually a little nervous now!"

"D-Don't worry. W-We can't always h-h-hang out w-with the same L-Lolita group forever."

"You're right Hinata-chan. We came to _Harajuku_ this time to make new Lolita friends. Well, let's give it a try."

* * *

"Um, excuse me? Hello there. It's nice to meet you guys, my name is Haruno Sakura," she bowed while introducing herself.

"And this is my friend, Hyuuga Hinata. We've come here to make more Lolita friends. So, um, please treat us kindly!" They both bowed to the group before them.

"Why hello! I see you are also into the Lolita fashion. My name is Konan, it's very nice to meet you girls," A dyed violet-blue haired girl bowed back.

She was definitely into the _Wa Lolita _style, which was kimono styled Lolita dresses. Her purple hair was curled into a messy, but cute, bun with a red rose on the side of her head. She was wearing a black kimono with a red and white cloud pattern. Most kimonos were long, but since this was in Lolita style, it ended to her knees and had a bell-shape to it from her pannier. Her _obi _was a red looking silk that held her kimono in place. Underneath her dress, she had black stockings and frilled lace-up black boots to complete her outfit.

She gave a small smile while stepping to the side. Behind her was yet another Lolita, but instead of a _Wa Lolita_ look, she was wearing a Punk Lolita outfit. Most of the things she wore, Sakura noticed, were from _h. Naoto_, a popular clothing brand for both punks and Gothic Lolita (and Punk Lolita of course).

"And this is Karin; she is also into the Lolita fashion."

"It's nice to meet you!" bowed a girl with dyed red hair.

Her hair was parted into pigtails. She had a black mini top hat with a rose on it on the left side of her head. Unlike most Lolitas Sakura had seen, she wore black-framed glasses. She also had on a black chocker with a silver cross hanging off from it. She was wearing a loose short-sleeved black shirt with a skull and red roses on it. Her sleeves were black lace ruffles that fell slightly off her shoulders. She had a black and red ruffled skirt with silver chains hanging loosely off her right hip. On her legs, she wore fishnet knee high socks and platform black heels on her feet. On her arms, she had black lace arm warmers and was holding onto a dolfie doll that had on the same outfit as her.

"Um Karin-san, is that the gothic Lolita dolfie doll collaboration with _h. NAOTO_?"

"Yes it is. It was expensive, but I was able to afford it." Karin smirked.

"Don't mind her; Karin likes to boast whenever she gets a new Lolita outfit, especially an expensive one," Konan apologized.

"Well, it's not my fault my parents have money. And it's not like I just pig off of them I am a working girl. I think I'm allowed to boast once in a while."

"U-Uh so y-y-you're not into t-the Lolita l-l-lifestyle?" Hinata stuttered out.

"Eh I can't hear you, you speak so softly. Say it louder," Karin said rather demandingly.

"Karin." Konan gave her a stern look.

"Um she was asking if you weren't into the Lolita lifestyle," Sakura answered back. Hinata sighed.

"It's okay Hinata! I'm really proud of you. You were able to speak without being too shy," Sakura whispered as she winked at her. Hinata blushed though there was a small smile adorning her face.

"T-thank you S-Sakura-chan!" Hinata beamed back.

"Oh, well why didn't you say that before little GothLoli. No, I'm not interested in living the full lifestyle of a Lolita I just like the fashion. I apologize if I came out as rude, but that's how I am."

"No it's fine, we were just wondering. So Kanon-san do you also not live in the Lolita lifestyle?" Sakura turned her attention to the other girl.

"Actually, yes I do choose to live in the lifestyle. I just feel more 'Lolita' if I also act like those during the Victorian ages. I mean, the Lolita style was influenced from clothes from the Victorian Age and the Rococo period. Shouldn't we also act the part if we look it? I'm not saying that those Lolitas who don't act it are any less a Lolita than me. I just have that type of mindset. How about you girls?" she replied.

"Oh yes we are both living the lifestyle. It is kind of hard, but we both love the idea very much." They both nodded their heads in agreement.

"Honestly, I think it's a waste of time. I'm not going to change my whole personality and lifestyle just to be 'more' Lolita. To me Lolita isn't a lifestyle it's just fashion, but that's my opinion," Karin shrugged.

"And we respect you for that Karin," Konan answered.

The soft ringing of a cellphone then interrupted the conversation. Karin took out her phone and opened the screen.

"Eh? Well, look who decided to call me now. I'll be right back, so excuse me for now." Karin walked off to a more secluded area to talk on the phone.

"I'm really am sorry about Karin. She's actually a really nice person. She's just not use to you guys yet, give her some time and she'll adjust," Konan bowed apologetically.

"N-no it's f-f-fine Konan-san," Hinata nodded back.

"Yes, we understand."

"So, do you guys always come here on Sundays?" asked the purple-headed girl.

"Yes we do. We really love seeing all the different styles here on the _Jingu _Bridge."

"Me too. I love how diverse everyone is, but I really love how everyone can still come together and talk to one another despite these differences in style. Although we all tend to stay within our own groups, I'm actually very happy you guys decided to come talk to us."

"I am too. I really love making new Lolita friends," Sakura smiled back.

"Sorry about that, I'm back now," Karin smiled triumphantly, arms on her hips.

"What was that about?"

"Oh you know, those idiots again."

"I see, so are you planning to meet up with them?"

"Yeah. Sorry I had to cut this hang out short Konan."

"No, it's fine. I was actually planning to meet-up with Pein." Konan looked at her black flip phone.

"Oh, well look at the time, I must go be going now. I can't be late."

"Are you guys leaving so soon?" Sakura frowned.

"Yes, I do apologize. Well, why don't we all exchange numbers and e-mail addresses, that way we can hang out in the future," Konan suggested.

"T-That would b-b-be nice," Hinata smiled.

After they all exchanged their information, Konan scurried off towards the streets. Hinata and Sakura then both glanced at each other before they both looked at Karin.

"So, are you leaving too Karin?" Sakura asked timidly.

"Eh? Oh yeah I guess."

Hinata and Sakura both sighed dejectedly, they now had no one to hang out with. Karin gave them a frustrated look before she finally sighed in defeat.

"I'm actually planning to meet up with another group of friends. If you guys want to, you can come with me, I guess. It can make-up for my rudeness earlier," Karin offered to both of the girls.

"Is it another Lolita meet-up?"

"Nope. They're just guys who like Visual Kei."

"Wahhhh Visual Kei? Do they like Mana-sama?" Sakura asked excitedly, her eyes filling up with hope.

"Who knows? Why don't you ask them that when we get there?" Karin answered leading the way to the location of the other group.

"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I'm right here for you. Let's be brave together!" Sakura grasped both of Hinata's hands into her hands with a look of determination.

With a nod, they both followed the red headed Lolita down the bridge, closer to the Meiji Shrine.

* * *

"They might seem unapproachable, but they're nice once you get to know them, I suppose," Karin shrugged her shoulders.

Hinata and Sakura both glanced at each other, both nervous and scared. Sakura wasn't so good around guys, and Hinata, even worse. In their heads, they were both praying to _Kami-sama_ for some help. Maybe then they would be able to get through it.

"There they are," Karin pointed to a group of three boys.

"Hey guys over here!" She waved to them.

The one on the right had spiky, semi-long blonde hair. He looked more into oshare kei than visual kei. He had on a striped white and orange baggy shirt with a pink jacket over. Her wore loose leopard printed shorts that passed his knees. Underneath it, he wore what looked like to be striped socks in different colors. Both legs had knee high black and white striped socks, however, the left foot had a smaller black and purple striped sock on top of it, while the right foot had a smaller black and pink striped sock on top. For his shoes, he was wearing the ever so popular platform black and white "Demonia" creeper shoes. He also had a fluffy black messenger bag that was shaped as a cat's head, and wore a necklace with an angry looking white character dangling.

He had a goofy smile on while he laughed with another boy who stood in the middle of the trio.

The other boy had white dyed hair that was at least shoulder length, and was styled to have the "windy" effect where pieces of hair stuck out a little at the sides. He wore a sleeveless long black cut sew with the words, SEX POT REVENGE, written in pink and light blue. He wore a studded belt on top of it; it hung slightly angled around his hips. For his legs, he wore faded, knee-ripped jeans with white skulls all over. For shoes, he had black and white converse high tops with the lips of the shoe hanging off, showing a plaid black and yellow design on the inside.

The white-headed guy elbowed the last guy on the left, after nodding his head in their direction.

To Sakura, the guy on the right was the coolest looking from all three. He had dark blue-black spiked hair, the spikes mostly at the back of his head. He had on a long black cardigan that had a "baggy" look with studs throughout. It also had extra long sleeves that covered his arms and his hands. On the inside, he had a black t-shirt with a white skull design and a belt that hung around his hips. He wore slightly tight black pants that were covered by his knee-high black studded boots. Though his outfit was the most simple, it just made him stand out even more.

Though Sakura knew it was very rude to stare, she couldn't help but look at the dark-headed boy. It was like she had seen this person before. She couldn't remember where exactly, but she knew for a fact that she had seen this person sometime in her life. She stood there contemplating and thinking to herself, openly staring at the boy in front of her.

"S-Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Hinata asked softly as she tried shaking her friend.

Though many things could have happened at that point, one in particular did.

"Eh? What? Oh I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I'm fine," Sakura answered back, blinking her eyes repetitively.

It was both a surprise to not only her, but to the boy as well.

"Wait a minute," the pinkette whispered, her eyes wide in realization.

" . . . Uchiha-san?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side.

" . . . Who are you?"

After all, this was the life of Sakura, the unknown Lolita girl from _Shibuya_.

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UNTIL NEXT TIME!

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Close: Chapter 1 Completed

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I've always wanted to write a story like this. I really love the Lolita fashion and the lifestyle! If you see any errors with the information I wrote, I would really appreciate it if you could correct me. I tried my best to research everything well so that I could write something that's realistic.

I really hate describing, especially when it comes to outfits. I'm not good at it, but I tried my best.

**REVIEW PLEASE.**

~七転八起


	2. Of Cake

Special thanks for the favs and/or story alerts: **KurenaiBara-chan**, **MaggieMonsterL**, **pandaastar.**, **R-Sharky**, & **xSasuSakux**

Chapter Dedication for reviewing last chapter: **TorieStar**, **kumikoX3chan**, & **xSasuSakux**

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me. The song used also belongs to WAKESHIMA KANON**_**.**_

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Enter: The Lolita Handbook

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(**CHAPTER 2**)

(_OF CAKE_)

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* * *

WELCOME!

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_**Of Jumper Skirts, Tea Parties, and Lace**_

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[_**Still Doll**_]

_Hi Miss Alice.  
With glass eyes,  
what kind of a dream  
are you able to have?  
Are you entranced by?  
Again for me,  
my heart tears apart  
and flows out  
Memories  
Pierce into  
The mended crevice_

[**分島花音**]

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_"S-Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Hinata asked softly as she tried shaking her friend._

_Though many things could have happened at that point, one in particular did._

_"Eh? What? Oh I'm sorry Hinata-chan, I'm fine," Sakura answered back, blinking her eyes repetitively._

_It was both a surprise to not only her, but to the boy as well._

_"Wait a minute," the pinkette whispered, her eyes wide in realization._

_" . . . Uchiha-san?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side._

_" . . . Who are you?"_

* * *

There was an awkward silence as Sakura and the dark headed boy continued to stare at each other.

"So . . ." the blonde headed boy said while scratching the back of his head. He suddenly pushed both boys aside and smiled goofily to the girls in front of him. Sakura blinked in confusion as her eye contact was severed, her attention now on the boy in front of her.

"Yo! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, it's nice to meet you girls!" He bowed as a wide grin spread across his face.

"Hey! Watch it you idiot!" the white-haired boy yelled out. He bonked Naruto on the head in anger.

"_Itte_!" Naruto cried out in pain, rubbing the top of his head with a pout.

"I'm Hozuki Suigetsu. Nice to meet you ladies!" He gave a quick nod and a wink.

"You guys are both idiots," Karin rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed by their presence.

"Yeah? Well you don't have to be so mean about it."

"Yeah! Why are you so grumpy?"

"Me? Mean? Grumpy? Well, at least I'm not making a total fool out of myself."

"Really now? I could say otherwise!"

"Yeah!"

The three continued to bicker with each other as Sakura giggled uncomfortably. Hinata was hiding behind her in fright. The atmosphere was no longer awkward, but they still felt a little bit like outcasts to the group. It was quite amusing to watch, but it soon became troublesome as many people started to look at the group.

"_Urusai_. People are starting to stare," a deep monotoned voice interrupted the loudness of the shouts.

"Eh? You want to start something Teme?"

"Naruto-_baka, _I wouldn't say anything if I were you."

"He can say whatever he wants Karin!"

"Yeah well—

"U-u-um, excuse me?" whispered the shy Hinata peaking out from behind Sakura.

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

" . . ."

"Who said that?" Naruto asked. His face was scrunched up in confusion as he searched right and left. Surprised, Hinata jumped a little in panic and went back behind Sakura.

"Um, sorry if we are disrupting your conversation, but we haven't introduced ourselves yet." Sakura smiled nervously at the group as Hinata continued to hide behind her in embarrassment.

"Please excuse these idiots; they're always causing a commotion," Karin apologized reluctantly.

"Um, it's fine really."

"So what are your names?" Suigetsu questioned.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, and this is Hyuuga Hinata," Sakura smiled as she stepped aside to show Hinata in the back. A huge blush adorned the GothLoli's small face.

"It's very nice to meet you," they both continued on while bowing to the two boys.

"I met them while I was hanging out with Konan. They like the Lolita fashion as well, and I asked them if they wanted to come with me to meet you guys, which I totally regret now," Karin muttered.

"Well, we're happy to have you with us!" Naruto gave them a smile.

"Yeah, it's better than having Karin with us all the time." Suigetsu gave a little smirk.

"Why you little—

"Quick, close your eyes!" Sakura whispered frantically to Hinata.

Sakura quickly covered Hinata's ears with both of her hands as Hinata closed her eyes. She didn't want Hinata to hear such profanities or see such violence, especially since she was so pure. No one should taint the minds of the innocent and Sakura felt the need to protect Hinata's while she still could. Since they both were living the lifestyle, such vulgar language and abusive behavior was absolutely intolerable for a Lolita.

"Well, that takes care of that," Karin smirked happily as she dusted off her dress. Poor Suigetsu was lying on the ground beaten and bruised.

"What was that for?" Suigetsu whined, rubbing the spots where she punched him.

"For being an idiot of course," she replied haughtily.

"Man Karin, you could be so abusive at times," Naruto shivered.

"Well, that just shows not to mess with me," she grinned at the two.

"Does this happen often?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"What? Oh this? You'll get used to it," Karin replied back.

"Just be thankful you don't have to put up with this beas—

Karin gave a quick glare to the still sitting Suigetsu.

"I mean . . . beauty."

"Heh, that's what I thought," she grinned evilly.

"So Sakura-chan, how do you know the _teme_ over here?"

"Why yes, how do you know him?" Karin raised a single eyebrow at the pink _ama-loli_.

"Well . . . um . . . how do I say this?" Sakura fidgeted in her spot.

"Oi! Sasuke! Do you know this girl?" Suigetsu asked the brooding boy in the back.

He glanced boringly at the girl from the railing he was leaning on, and then back to his friend.

"No. I've never seen a girl with pink hair before," he brushed off, looking back in the direction he was staring at before.

"Well I'm sorry, this is just a wig. I can't quite dye my hair pink yet because of school regulations, but I definitely will in the future," Sakura retorted.

"So, um, what's your real hair color?"

"Well, Uzumaki-san it's black."

"Oh, well that's not a surprise."

"What were you expecting _baka_? Purple?"

"Hey, no need to be rude Karin!"

"Whatever," she scoffed.

"So anyway Sakura-chan, I hope you don't mind if I call you that, how do you know Sasuke over there? He doesn't seem to recognize you," Suigetsu questioned.

"Well I don't know him in particular. But he goes to the same school as me. I've heard a lot of things about him from the girls in my class. We may be in the same grade, but the only contact we've ever made was I guess, seeing each other in the hallways. He probably doesn't recognize me anyway because I'm in my pink wig and I'm wearing my green contact circle lenses."

"Oh, well that makes sense I guess."

"So you guys go to the same school?"

"Um, yes, we do."

"So you're from Shibuya?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"And you're in the same grade?"

"Yes, Naruto she is! Gosh, were you not listening to her before? You could be so incompetent sometimes," Karin yelled frustratingly.

"It's alright, Karin-san, he just needed some clearing up, _ne_ Uzumaki-san?"

"Yeah! Why can't you be nice like Sakura-chan over here?"

"Oh, so you want me to be nice?" Karin said with a forced grin. With his mouth wide open, Naruto quickly shook his head and hid behind Suigetsu.

"Uh, anyway, I guess this'll give you a chance to get to know Sasuke, _ne_ Sakura-chan?" Sakura nodded in agreement though she wasn't particularly keen on the idea.

"Hey Sasuke? Get over here and introduce yourself properly," Suigetsu yelled over to the boy. The dark headed boy lifted himself from leaning against the railing and walked closer to the group.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. It's nice to meet you." He gave a bow to both of the girls and then stared down at them.

"Uh, Hinata, why don't you introduce yourself first?" Sakura pushed the petite GothLoli girl to the front.

" . . . U-u-um hello. My n-name is Hyuuga H-Hinata. It's very n-n-nice to meet y-you." The dark headed girl gave a swift bow then quickly ran back behind Sakura once again.

"Um, hello Uchiha-san. We haven't been introduced properly but, um, my name is Haruno Sakura. I'm from Class 2-D. It's very nice to meet you." Sakura bowed to the boy before her.

"Hn. Haruno."

She was starting to fidget a bit more however. His stares were a bit uncomfortable and it really seemed like he was glaring at her. But she had to be polite and respectful, so she kept her mouth shut.

"Um, please excuse the _teme_ over here. He's always like that," Naruto laughed uncomfortably as he played with the black fur from his cat-shaped messenger bag.

"Uh, yeah, no need to worry," Suigetsu agreed while lightly scratching the side of his face with his pointer finger.

"Well, I don't think he likes you," Karin said in a singsong voice. A smug smile spread across her face.

"No, it's alright I understand. I really don't mind." Sakura smiled back, though it was somewhat forced, as she ignored Karin's comment. On the inside however, she was boiling, enraged that he would be so rude. She was trying to be polite to the boy and this was how he treated her? Sakura really had no clue as to how Sasuke could be so popular in the first place. Sure, he was attractive looking, but someone with a nasty personality like that was certainly not worth the trouble.

"Sakura-chan, he's kind of scary," Hinata whispered from behind her.

"It's okay Hinata-chan. Just don't look or talk to him okay? Everything will be fine." Sakura tried to reassure her GothLoli friend. Although she wasn't sure herself, she didn't want to appear intimidated. So she held her head high up and decided to ignore the dark-headed boy. Sakura shook her head in thought; she would never understand who Uchiha Sasuke was, not that she wanted to in the first place.

"So girls, why don't we go somewhere?"

"Um, where?"

"How about _Takeshita-dori_? I'm dying to buy some new clothes!" Karin suggested.

"T-that sounds g-g-good," Hinata agreed as she peeked her head out from behind Sakura.

"_Takeshita-dori_ it is then!" Naruto jumped with a fist pumped into the air.

* * *

"We should make sure to stay together. Since there is going to be a lot of people we don't want to get separated," Sakura concluded thoughtfully. The group nodded in agreement as they set off to _Takeshita-dori_, one of the main streets in _Harajuku_.

They walked away from the _Meiji _Shrine and closer to where the beginning of the bridge began. Right now they were on _Omotesando_ Street, another famous street in _Harajuku_. It was a huge road with three lanes that had cars busily driving through daily. It joined _Omotesando_ subway station with _Meiji_ Shrine, which was next to _Harajuku_ station. After passing through _Omotesando_, which consisted of more brand name stores, like Gucci and Prada, they arrived on the narrow road of _Takeshita-dori_.

The streets were crowded with people window-shopping, tourists, and those clothed in Japanese street fashion. This street had so many stores offering different Lolita styles and clothing. Sakura and Hinata smiled at each other as they saw all the different stores. Though they always went to _Harajuku_ on Sundays, they didn't really go to _Takeshita-dori_ a lot to go shopping. It was a great opportunity to buy some new stuff for future Lolita meet-ups and such.

"_Mitsuketa_! I found it, there's Body Line! I must go there!" shouted a chipper Karin. She ran away from the group without any hesitation.

"_Chotto matte_ Karin! Hey, wait for us!" Suigetsu yelled, trying to catch up to the red head.

"Wait you guys! Don't run ahead! We're supposed to stick together," Naruto cried out, waving his arms in the air trying to get their attention.

"Quit it _dobe_. We'll just meet up with them later," Sasuke said boringly. He looked around the stores not really caring where they were.

"_Teme_! Didn't you hear me? Now we're separated! What are we going to do?" Naruto whined, feeling lonely that Suigetsu left him for the red headed monster.

"Why don't we get a little snack before we go look for them?" Sakura suggested. She was in the mood for some tea and cake in a nice little café.

"T-t-that sounds like a g-good idea," Hinata agreed, also craving for some tea and sweets.

They went into the closest café they could find. It was a small and cute café that had a very welcoming and warm feeling. The smell of tea and coffee surrounded them. As they entered, a waitress immediately greeted them.

"_Irrashaimase_!" she greeted cheerfully as she bowed.

"Are you a party of four?" she asked politely.

"Yes, we have four people," Sakura answered back.

"Okay, please follow me to your table." She led them to a table near the windows where they could see the streets. After they all sat down, she put placed a menu on the table for them to look at.

"Thank you for coming, here is the menu. Before you look, would you like to order something to drink?" she asked with a small smile on her face.

"Green tea please."

"D-do you h-h-have black t-tea?"

"Yes ma'am we do."

"I'll h-have that t-t-then."

"Hot latté."

"Oooo, I'll have an ice-cold cappuccino," Naruto grinned.

"So your order is green tea, black tea, hot latté, and an ice-cold cappuccino." She looked at the group making sure the order was right. They all nodded.

"Alright then, I'll be back with your drinks. Please enjoy your stay." She bowed and walked away to the kitchen to request their orders.

After, Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto looked at the menu, looking at what desserts or sweets they would want to order. Sasuke was staring out the window, not interested in ordering anything sweet. He did not have a sweet tooth.

"Uchiha-san, aren't you going to order something?" Sakura asked politely as she gestured to the menu.

"Oh, _Teme_ doesn't like sweets, so don't even bother."

"Is that so?" Sakura said thoughtfully. The waitress came back after a few minutes with their drinks on a black tray. She set them down on the table, putting each drink correctly towards who ordered what. With a smile she took out her notepad and pen.

"Are you done looking at the menu?" she asked.

"Yes," Sakura answered for the group.

"Okay, so what will you be ordering?"

"A slice of chestnut cake, please."

"A s-slice of c-c-cinnamon rum-raisin c-cake, please."

"Banana loaf for me!"

"And you sir?"

"I won't be ordering anything."

"Okay, so your orders are a slice of chestnut cake, a slice of cinnamon rum-raison cake, and a banana loaf." They all nodded.

"I'll be back with your orders then. Thank you." She bowed before she took the menu.

"Um, sorry but please excuse me for a moment." Sakura stood up from her chair. Three pairs of eyes set on her.

"W-where are y-y-you going?" Hinata asked, a hint of fright in her voice.

"Don't worry I'll be back okay? I'm just going to the bathroom." Sakura winked at the GothLoli as she began walking away. She quickly glanced back at Sasuke, and with determination, she continued on.

"So Hinata-chan, are you having fun?" Naruto smiled kindly at the dark-headed girl sitting in front of him.

"Y-yes. A-and you?" Hinata blushed as she answered. She stared down at her hands as she started playing with her fingers. She was so nervous without Sakura around to encourage her. This was her first time talking to a guy she didn't know that well.

"This is actually a lot of fun! Too bad Karin and Suigetsu are missing out on the food," Naruto chuckled.

"M-maybe w-we can bring t-them s-s-some cake," Hinata suggested as she glanced up from twirling her fingers.

"Awww you're so nice Hinata-chan. But its okay, those guys don't deserve it!" Naruto smiled at the petite girl.

"I-is t-t-that so?" Hinata blushed even more, her heart beating erratically after seeing Naruto give her a smile. He was being so kind to her, even when this was their first meeting.

"Uhh are you okay?"

"W-w-what?"

"You're face is really red. Do you have a fever?" Naruto stood a little above the table as he brushed her bangs aside and felt her forehead with the back of his hand. Hinata's blush worsened as it turned from a light pink to a deep red.

"Cut it out _Dobe_. Can't you see your making her uncomfortable?"

"What was that _Teme_? Can't you see how red she is? Hinata-chan might be sick."

"N-no really, i-i-its okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes, I'm f-fine," Hinata nodded. She felt so happy having someone worry about her so much, even when they didn't know her that well.

"T-thank you, N-naruto-kun." She gave a smile small to the blonde headed boy across from her. He beamed back in triumph.

"I'm back." Sakura took her seat next to Hinata.

"So how were things without me?"

"F-fine."

"That's good," Sakura smiled. She was very proud that Hinata was able to handle herself while she was gone. It just showed how much Hinata was maturing from the past. Back then, Hinata would have probably followed her, but this time she was fine by herself.

The waitress came back again with their desserts. She placed them down on the table, bowed, and then left holding the tray to her side.

"What the? I thought you didn't order anything." Naruto looked skeptical as he stared at his dark headed friend.

"I didn't." Sasuke rested his head on his hand as he stared down at the cake placed in front of him.

"I ordered it for you actually."

"Sakura-chan, you didn't have to do that! Besides like I said before, he doesn't like sweets so he won't eat it."

"Oh I know Uzumaki-san. This cake actually isn't that sweet at all. It's bittersweet chocolate cake. Though it may be chocolate, they used dark chocolate, which isn't as sweet as milk chocolate. Please eat it Uchiha-san, I think you might enjoy it."

"Hn."

"I'm sorry Sak—

"_Itadakimasu_."

Sasuke picked up his fork and scooped off a small piece of the cake. He examined it intently before he placed it into his mouth. The rest of the group stared eagerly, their eyebrows raised in anticipation for his response.

"It's good." The visual kei boy continued eating the cake. Sakura smiled in accomplishment.

"_Itadakimasu_," the other three said joyfully as they began to partake in the desserts they ordered. After they finished, they walked towards the cash register, located near the entrance of the café.

"Why don't we split the bill?" Sakura suggested.

"Okay, sounds good, less for me to spend." They divided the bill and each handed Sakura their share of it. She counted it all up, making sure it equaled what they owed, and then handed it to the waitress. She counted it up and then put it in the cash register. After, she placed a receipt on a small tray and pushed it towards Sakura. Sakura took the white paper, looking at it to make sure everything was correct.

"Thank you for coming. We hope you come again." The waitress smiled as she bowed to the group. The four bowed back and then headed out the door.

* * *

"So should we look for Karin-san and Hozuki-san now?"

"H-how about w-we e-mail K-K-Karin-san?"

"Oh, that's a good idea. It'll be faster." Sakura nodded her head in agreement. She took out her pink flip phone and started punching in letters. After pressing send, she closed her phone, but kept it in her hand waiting for an e-mail back. Her phone then vibrated and she opened her phone back up to read the message.

"Meet us at Body Line. （－－）," Karin replied back.

"Do you guys know where Body Line is?"

"Yep. Karin goes there all the time," Naruto rolled his eyes in boredom.

"Well, I'll lead the way! Make sure you stay close and don't get lost! Come on Hinata-chan, let's go!" Hinata nodded back as she walked next to the blonde. The group continued on their way through the narrow and busy street of _Takeshita-dori_.

The street was filled with so many stores and people. Sakura kept gazing from left to right, taking note on what stores she would want to visit in the future. Sakura had always heard of the store Body Line, but she never visited it before. It was a store filled with Lolita clothing, though the majority of it catered to Gothic Lolita. It was very popular among the GothLoli's, she wondered if Hinata ever been there before. Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and accidently bumped into a male cosplayer.

"_Sumimasen_." Sakura bowed, having on an apologetic smile. He bowed back and continued on his way. Sakura looked forward but didn't see Naruto, Hinata or Sasuke anymore.

"Oh no, it seems like I've lost them," Sakura sighed dejectedly. She's never been to _Takeshita-dori_ by herself. She always had someone with her because she wasn't too familiar with this part of _Harajuku_. She was beginning to panic; she had never been lost before. The smart thing to do was to contact someone, so she took out her phone quickly from her white heart shaped purse.

"I'll just e-mail Hin—

Someone suddenly bumped into her, causing Sakura to drop her cell phone onto the floor. Before she managed to reach it, a _gyaru_'s sharp heal stepped on her phone, breaking the screen.

"Oh no!" Sakura yelled grabbing the phone quickly and examining it. There was no way the screen would work. She would have to buy a new phone, but at the moment, she was still lost.

"What am I going to do?" She sat there, lonely, afraid and lost. Her phone was broken, she had no way to contact anyone she knew, and she had lost Hinata.

"Just as I thought, you really are an annoying girl." Sakura looked up, mouth wide opened as she stared at the boy in front of her. Since it was so sunny out she couldn't see his face, but he soon stepped in front of her, blocking out the sun's rays.

"U-Uchiha-san?"

"Che. Why are you so surprised?" He continued to stare down at her.

"Well, get up. People are beginning to look." Sakura nodded her head as she picked herself up. She dusted off her dress and grabbed her white bag and parasol from off the ground.

"I'm really sorry for the trouble." She looked down at the ground sadly. Sakura had always hated being a burden or causing anyone any type of trouble. She couldn't help but feel really disappointed in herself because she caused such problems for someone she just met.

"Hn. Let's just go." He grabbed her wrist and started tugging her down the street, avoiding anyone coming in their direction.

"What are you doing?" He stopped and glanced back towards the _ama-loli_ behind him.

"I don't want to have to go looking for you if you get lost again." Sakura stared at him in amazement; she never knew he could be so kind, well, in his own way. From what she had seen at school, he was so rude and cold to most of the people that approached him. Because of this, Sakura never really thought much about him. She didn't want to associate herself with mean people. But today, though it was only something small, she learned some new things about him that changed her opinion. Though she still thought of him as cold, she knew he had a kinder side as well.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"Whatever. Let's just hurry up before that _Dobe_ starts complaining." He continued tugging her along _Takeshita-dori_. She smiled, a small blush adorning her cheeks as they walked along.

Was this the beginning of a new friendship?

* * *

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

* * *

Close: Chapter 2 Completed

* * *

If you have any questions about what I wrote, or if you don't know or understand something that I've written, please feel free to PM me, or try to research it yourself.

**REVIEW PLEASE.**

~七転八起


	3. Of Surprises

It's been a year, but I'm back.

Chapter Dedication for reviewing the last chapter: **TorieStar**, **xSasuSakux**, **Hypogal**, & **MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA**

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me. The song used below also belongs to WAKESHIMA KANON**_**.**_

* * *

Enter: The Lolita Handbook

* * *

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(**CHAPTER 3**)

(_OF SURPRISES_)

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* * *

WELCOME!

* * *

_**Of Jumper Skirts, Tea Parties, and Lace**_

* * *

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[_**~Lolitawork Libretto~ Storytelling by Solita**_]

_It's a crescent moon tonight  
the scent of peppermint  
softly, the city lights  
adorn the lace dress  
the dripping moon  
Drops into darkness  
Stops time_

[**分島****花音**]

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* * *

"_I'm really sorry for the trouble." She looked down at the ground sadly. Sakura had always hated being a burden or causing anyone any type of trouble. She couldn't help but feel really disappointed in herself because she caused such problems for someone she just met._

"_Hn. Let's just go." He grabbed her wrist and started tugging her down the street, avoiding anyone coming in their direction._

"_What are you doing?" He stopped and glanced back towards the ama-loli behind him._

"_I don't want to have to go looking for you if you get lost again." Sakura stared at him in amazement; she never knew he could be so kind, well, in his own way. From what she had seen at school, he was so rude and cold to most of the people that approached him. Because of this, Sakura never really thought much about him. She didn't want to associate herself with mean people. But today, though it was only something small, she learned some new things about him that changed her opinion. Though she still thought of him as cold, she knew he had a kinder side as well._

"_Thank you, Uchiha-san."_

"_Whatever. Let's just hurry up before the Dobe starts complaining." He continued tugging her along Takeshita-dori. She smiled, a small blush adorning her cheeks as they walked along._

* * *

Sasuke quickly glanced backwards at the pink-headed girl. "Hn. What are you grinning for?"

"Eh? Oh it's nothing," Sakura smiled shyly while looking at the ground. He turned around fully and gave her a knowing smirk. She froze wondering why he was looking at her that way.

"You like me don't you?" A smug grin was plastered all over his face.

Sakura's mouth dropped at this. One moment she was admiring his kindness, and then a few seconds later she was baffled at how quickly he became egocentric again. "Eh?"

"Che. I knew it, another fan girl." He shook his head lightly while he continued to drag her along the road.

With a disgusted look, Sakura pulled her arm out of his grasp. "Excuse me? I am most certainly not your fan girl Uchiha-san. Please do not group me with such low lifes!" She growled with disdain in her voice. In her mind however, she knew she should have let it go. She reprimanded herself for being so unladylike.

"So I see Haruno has a temper. Couldn't hold it in?" He raised an eyebrow as he glanced back at her. Amusement glinted in his eyes.

"Well I'm trying my best to be polite, but with your cocky attitude, how could I not?"

"Ah, you really are annoying." He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah? Well you are too," Sakura pouted. She never was one to act so immature, but she couldn't help it. He was just annoying her to point that she wasn't acting quite 'Lolita' enough or to her standards. She decided from there that he wasn't as cool as she had originally thought and that he was really just a cold bastard.

"And to think that I was nice to you, ordering you a cake," the pinkette scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I never asked you to do that."

Sakura stomped her right foot on the ground. "Well I was just being nice, and I felt bad you didn't have anything to eat."

Sasuke, in return, glared at the annoying girl, "Well I never asked for your pity Haruno."

"That's it! You're such a jerk! I'm done talking with you." She gave him a final glare and proceeded to walk past him.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to find Body Line without your help, so good day to you, Uchiha-san."

" . . ."

Sasuke sighed, obviously fed up with her behavior. "Do you really think that's the best decision? Is being separated and you being lost again a great idea? Use your brain Haruno."

The ama-loli glared but agreed. She honestly didn't know what she would do if she got lost again. She would just have to suck up her pride and get along with the Uchiha, she didn't have any other option anyway. The two just walked in silence as Sasuke led the way. During this time, Sakura finally calmed down. There was no use being angry with him, it was counterproductive and took too much energy. He wasn't worth it anyway.

* * *

"Hn. We're here." Sasuke stopped in front of a two-story building. The pinkette looked up to see a fairly large sign that read, BODY LINE. The lettering was in a gold color, while the background of the sign was a deep maroon. Since the building was two stories, there was a staircase that led to the entrance of the store. There was a gold railing as well, probably to match the gold lettering from the sign. As Sakura climbed up the stairs, she found a large yellow poster next to the entrance that read, SALE. Sakura smiled and happily walked inside.

"Finally! That took you guys forever, what were you doing alone with Sasuke-kun?" The redheaded punk loli demanded.

Sakura quickly looked around the store. It was fairly small in size but it was cute. The walls were covered with red curtains. Against the walls were racks of many different Lolita dresses. They were arranged according to color and what style the dresses were in. In the middle of the room was a very ornate and intricate gold painted table. A cash register was placed on it as well as a smiling Lolita dressed sales associate working behind.

Sasuke came up behind the ama-loli and rolled his eyes. He sighed as he walked to where his friends were.

Sakura decided to ignore the redhead's comment and ran to her best friend. "Hinata!"

"S-Sakura-chan," Hinata smiled back, relieved that her Lolita friend was back.

Naruto came up to Sakura and said, "There you guys are! Where have you been? We've been waiting since like, forever!"

"Calm down _Dobe_. Pinky over here got lost so I had to go back to get her."

Naruto gave a smug look and wiggled his eyebrows. "Right, you two got 'lost' on the way."

"And what exactly are you implying happened, Naruto?" Karin gave him a glare.

The blonde froze in his spot and stepped behind Hinata. The GothLoli was oblivious to Naruto's future impending doom. "N-Nothing Karin. They were probably just having fun without us. Not doing anything inappropriate of course, if that's what you were thinking…"

Karin pressed her lips into a fine line and turned her head away. "Like Sasuke would ever do anything with her. She's clearly not his type."

Suigetsu laughed, "And you are?"

Karin blushed and adjusted her glasses to cover her pink cheeks. "Well, at least more than this bubblegum."

Sakura sighed. First she got lost, and then her phone broke, after she had to spend 15 minutes with a cocky visual kei boy, and next she had to face Karin's sudden disdain. It wasn't like she wanted to be alone with the Uchiha anyway. Sakura brought her hands back and started playing with the bow at the back of her dress. She shyly glanced at the dark headed boy next to her. He had a blank expression on, clearly not affected with the conversation going on in front of him.

"Do they usually just talk about you like you aren't here?" Sakura quickly shut her mouth. She unconsciously let the question slip through her lips.

Sasuke looked at the shorter girl and gave her a small smirk. "All the time."

Sakura giggled. Whatever this was, it made her feel strange. Even though they only met a couple of hours ago, he already brought so many emotions out of her. He knew what buttons to press to make her angry and he knew exactly what to say to make her smile. It was strange. He was strange.

"You're really different."

He gave her a questioning gaze, obviously not understanding her statement.

Sakura continued on, trying to explain what she meant, "You weren't what I expected, that's all I meant."

"Same with you." Sakura lightly gasped at this.

"You were always known as the smart, quiet, polite model student. But I never expected you to be a Lolita girl. Well, an annoying Lolita that is," he gave a small chuckle as he brushed his hair back with his hands.

A deep blush adorned the pinkette's cheeks. How could someone be so attractive all of a sudden? Sakura shook her head and hit her herself with her fist, trying to get these strange thoughts out of her head.

"Hn. Not to mention you're weirder than I expected," he muttered.

"Hey! I'm perfectly normal. Besides, who knew the cold, stoic Uchiha was really a rebellious visual kei boy? That'll be quite the surprise back at school."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like I would care. Who are they to judge who I am anyway?"

Sakura contemplated on his words and nodded thoughtfully. He had a point. She suddenly felt guilty though. She was rather quick to judge him without really knowing him first. Even though as a Lolita it was expected that one would be respectful of others, it seemed like she didn't truly respect who Sasuke was.

She just assumed he was mean without really knowing the facts. Although he was cold, he never acted ill towards her or harmed her in any way. The green-eyed beauty suddenly felt very regretful for thinking those bad thoughts about him without knowing the truth.

"I should be apologizing to you then. I was quick to judge without knowing who you really were. I'm sorry for those assumptions," Sakura bowed apologetically.

"Hn."

Sakura sighed. Well, that was short lived.

* * *

Karin gave a satisfied sigh as she took a sip out of her straw. She ordered a mango smoothie as refreshment from all the shopping that she did. Suigetsu, unfortunately, was left with the task of holding her bags. "Well, now that I'm done shopping, I have to get home."

"What? Already?" Naruto whined.

Karin rolled her eyes and then took out her receipts to see how much she spent. "Unlike some people, I do have a life you know."

"Well, good riddance…" Suigetsu muttered under his breath.

The white haired boy yawned and stretched his hands out, almost hitting Naruto with the bags he was holding. "I should probably head back too."

"What?! Not you too, Suigetsu?" Naruto pouted as he sidestepped his friend so he wouldn't get hit with the shopping bags. It didn't seem like it, but they spent more than half the day together. The sun was setting and it was close to nighttime.

Suigetsu shook his head lightly and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You know I have a job at the bike shop. My uncle ain't waiting on me all day. Don't you have practice anyway?"

Sakura perked up at the question. "Practice?"

"Yeah, these guys are in a visual kei band," the white haired visual kei boy replied.

Naruto continued on explaining, "We're not signed though. It's more of a hobby. We just so happened to get paid with all the gigs we perform at."

Sakura nodded her head, "That's really cool."

"Really?"

"Of course! Not just anyone can play an instrument or sing well."

The blonde oshare kei boy chuckled, "Well little lady, you're in luck, you're talking to the leader of the band himself."

"You're the leader?" Sakura tilted her head a little to the side.

Naruto nodded his head with a triumphant grin on his face. "I started the band so I designated myself as leader."

"A crappy leader I'll say…" Karin muttered.

"Stop being a hater Karin," Suigetsu retorted.

Karin sighed and reluctantly added in, "Well, I do have to admit they're pretty talented."

"So what's your position in the band?" the pinkette questioned the leader.

"I'm the drummer. And Sasuke over here is our bassist."

"That's so awesome!"

Naruto smiled, "You should come to practice with us if you're free."

Sakura nodded her head and turned towards the GothLoli next to Naruto. The pinkette asked, "Would you want to go Hinata?"

Hinata blushed as she looked down to play with her fingers. "I'm not sure. You know I have a curfew."

"Right… maybe next time then, ne?"

Sakura started, "Sorry guys may—

Hinata cut her off by assuring her, "I-It's fine if y-you go without m-me." Sakura gasped as she stared down at her friend. It was quite a surprising answer coming from the black haired girl.

"Are you sure?" Hinata nodded.

Sakura smiled and patted her friend lightly on the head. "Alright, I'll definitely keep you updated with what happens."

Suigetsu stretched his arms out again and brought one arm back so that it was lying against his shoulder. It made it slightly easier to carry the bags against his back. "Alright guys, me and Karin are out!"

Hinata shyly stepped forward towards the pair and asked, "D-do you guys mind if I-I leave w-with you."

"Of course not!"

Karin sighed in relief, "Thank god. Who knows what'll happen if its just me and this idiot."

Right as the trio was about to leave, the blue-eyed boy stopped the adorable GothLoli. "Oh wait, Hinata? Before you leave…" Naruto took out his orange flip phone and scrolled to his contacts list.

Naruto scratched the back of his head as he handed the pale girl his phone. "Do you wanna exchange email addresses and numbers with me? Hehe"

Bright red engulfed Hinata's face. Hinata nodded enthusiastically and took Naruto's phone to put in her number and e-mail address. Naruto laughed nervously as the rest of the group stared knowingly at the two. After giving back the phone, Hinata took out her lavender colored flip phone for Naruto to input his information. After they exchanged numbers, Hinata bowed and walked up to Karin and Suigetsu who were waiting for her.

Naruto looked back and grinned at his new friend, "I'll definitely contact you."

Hinata blushed again and nodded. She then gave him a small smile and waved goodbye.

"Bye guys!" Suigetsu shouted as the trio started walking away.

Karin waved furiously to the quiet visual kei boy. "Bye Sasuke-kun!"

"Hn."

"G-Goodbye. Hopefully I'll s-see y-you soon S-Sakura-chan," Hinata quietly shouted, if that was possible, to her pink friend.

Sakura beamed, "Okay, I'll definitely wait for it!" She was so proud of Hinata. She was finally opening up. The pinkette couldn't help but feel like a proud mother. Hinata was always the shy one in their group of friends, but it seemed like she was truly growing. She could tell that just from this one day Hinata was becoming more comfortable with herself.

Sakura snickered into her hand. It was probably because of Naruto. If it wasn't obvious enough, Hinata definitely took quite a liking towards the bright haired boy. But the green-eyed beauty was happy for her friend. If anything happened in the future, Naruto was definitely the right person to keep Hinata happy.

* * *

"Well it's just us now!" Naruto grinned at the two walking next to him.

"Great," Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Cool, so off to practice we go." Naruto pointed ahead and started walking. Naruto stated that it would take them about 10 to 15 minutes to get there from Body Line. When Sakura asked about their instruments, Naruto laughed and said that there was already a drum kit set up in the studio. For Sasuke, the other band members were bringing his bass since they planned ahead of time.

"You'll love the rest of the band Sakura! They ain't as cool as me, but they come pretty close," Naruto chuckled as he brought his arms toward the back of his head.

Sasuke shook his head and sighed. He brought his hand up to his face and started massaging the bridge of his nose. "Hn. Dobe."

Naruto smirked, "Aw, don't be jealous teme. You're cool too, cooler than the rest, but not as cool as me. I'm number one, right Sakura?"

The pinkette giggled and nodded, "Sure, Uzumaki-san."

She was really excited to see them play. The ama-loli never knew anyone that was in a band although she did listen to quite a few visual kei bands. Malice Mizer was the most prominent band she listened to because of Mana-sama. She bought lots of Lolita dresses from his clothing label, _Moi-meme-Moitie_, as well.

The pinkette asked, "So what's the name of the studio you practice in?"

"KRH Studios! It's the best, really. That's where we rehearse and record our demos."

Sakura nodded in reply. She looked at Sasuke who was walking on the right of her. It really was strange. He always seemed to be very quiet in groups, but when he was just with her… Sakura shook her head. She wasn't anything special, how could she even think that he treated her differently from the rest. Besides, like Karin said earlier, why would he be interested in a girl like her?

Sakura stopped in her tracks. Did she really just think that? Who cares if he was interested in her or not? She didn't like him that way, right? They just met, so how could feelings already develop? Sakura jumped in surprise as someone poked her left cheek.

"Eh?"

"It would be wise if you stopped getting distracted, unless, you _want_ to get lost again," Sasuke gave the girl a crooked grin.

Sakura pouted, "Before was an accident and right now, I just had a lot of things on my mind."

"Or you're just doing this so you could hold my hand again."

Sakura's face flushed in embarrassment. "We didn't hold hands! You dragged me along, holding onto me wrist!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Same difference."

"Hey! You two lovebirds! Will you stop arguing about holding hands so we can get to practice? We're gonna be late." Naruto stared at the two, obviously amused at the situation.

"Why don't you tell pinky that? She's the one who wants to hold my hand." Sasuke walked past the girl and continued walking toward the studio.

Sakura puffed her cheeks out. "Don't worry about him, Sakura-chan. He's just teasing."

"Well it's annoying."

"It's weird though, he doesn't ever do this with Karin…" Naruto trailed off.

"Haha. Well maybe because he's friends with Karin and I'm just a stranger," Sakura laughed nervously. She didn't like where this conversation was going.

"I'm pretty sure you're far from being strangers at this point," Naruto looked back at the girl and grinned. "Well, let's continue on."

Sakura stared blankly for a moment then continued on following the oshare kei boy.

* * *

When they arrived, they entered into one of the many recording studios in the building. The room was slightly small, but adequate. One of the walls was framed with a long mirror so it was easier for the band to see what they looked like when they performed. A drum set and a large amp were set up near the back of the room. The lights were bright and the room was soundproof, so it was perfect for a band like them to practice.

As they entered the room, Sakura noticed two people already there. They were tuning their guitars. Sasuke noticed his bass was leaning against the wall near the entrance, and went to get ready. He took out his black bass from the case and then went to his position on the right. He plugged his bass in the amp and started tuning and warming up like the rest. Naruto walked all the way to the back where the drum set was and started playing with the snare drums and cymbals.

As they were getting ready, Sakura took this time to observe the other two members in their band. The first one she noticed was the redhead. He was standing in front, in the middle of the group. He had very short-layered hair and was styled so that some of the tips were winged out. He then looked up to see her standing there awkwardly. Sakura then noticed he had very light green eyes that were outlined with very dark, thick black eyeliner. She noted that he looked very much like a _tanuki_. She then noticed his lack of eyebrows, which she thought was quite strange. However, what got her attention was the tattoo located on his forehead. It was the kanji sign of love written in red ink. He had on a very casual visual kei outfit. He wore a plain white shirt with thin black stripes running horizontal. On top of that, he wore a plain black blazer. For his bottoms, he had on black pants that were ripped near the knee area. Chains also hung from the right side of his hips. And for shoes he wore black and white creepers.

"Oh, right over there, there should be a chair next to you that you could sit on," Naruto pointed out. He used his left drumstick to point to a black chair that was propped up against the wall. The pinkette nodded in thanks and took the chair to sit on. She leaned her umbrella against the wall and put her heart shaped bag on her lap. After sitting down, she looked at the last member of the band.

He looked deathly pale and had jet black hair that framed the top of his face. Unlike the others, his hair wasn't styled and was just flat. He too had on very casual visual kei attire. A thin black scarf was wrapped around his neck. He also wore a plain black loose tank with a white skull graphic on it. Over that, he had on a thin black jacket that ended right above his knees. For pants, he had on black skinny jeans with several rips all over. He also wore black platforms that made him slightly taller than the rest of the members. He, however, didn't look up at her.

After they were finished tuning and warming up, Naruto wanted to introduce Sakura to the rest of the band. "Before we begin, I want to introduce you to the others," Naruto continued on, "The one in front is our vocalist and guitarist. His name is Sabaku no Gaara." The redhead bowed and then quietly spoke, "You can just call me Gaara." Sakura bowed in return and smiled slightly.

"The one on the left is our newest member. He is our lead guitarist and his name is Sai." The pale boy bowed and gave the _ama-loli_ a very fake looking smile. Sakura laughed nervously and bowed back.

"This cute Loli is our newest friend, Sakura-chan. She'll be watching us practice today, so make sure you give her a great performance."

Naruto then raised his drumsticks up and crossed them to form an 'X' shape. He then grinned goofily and yelled, "We are X."

Sakura giggled at his silliness. The rest of the guys were so serious but Naruto was just trying to lighten up the mood. He introduced themselves as one of the most famous visual kei bands in Japan, X Japan. Unlike the rest, she found Naruto's little joke to be funny.

Gaara turned around to glare at the idiot behind him. Naruto tensed up and then cleared his throat.

Sasuke sighed, "Let's just start already, _dobe_." Naruto chuckled as he turned slightly red, embarrassed that the other members were far from amused with his behavior.

"Sorry about that Sakura-chan. We'll begin seriously now." The pinkette just giggled in reply.

Naruto shouted, "We are _Shinobi_! The first song we'll be playing is called _Reila_."

Sasuke looked back and nodded toward the blonde that they were ready to go. Naruto smirked. "A one, two, three, four…." Naruto shouted as he simultaneously hit his drumsticks together.

And then they began.

* * *

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

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Close: Chapter 3 Completed

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****Fun Facts**: BODY LINE and KRH Studios are real places in Shibuya. Malice Mizer, Mana-sama, & X Japan are real Japanese musicians. Moi-meme-Moitie is a real Japanese Lolita clothing label. _Reila_ is a song by the Japanese visual kei band, the Gazette.

**Review please.**

~七転八起


	4. Of Falling

I kind of expected no reviews… but at least I got 1! Thanks stranger!

_Chapter Dedication:_ **Guest** who reviewed & **Drea-Kat** for the story alert.

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me. The song used below, **_**Toumei no Kagi**_**, also belongs to WAKESHIMA KANON**_**.**_

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Enter: The Lolita Handbook

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(**CHAPTER 4**)

(_OF FALLING_)

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* * *

WELCOME!

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_**Of Jumper Skirts, Tea Parties, and Lace**_

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[透明の鍵]

_While I slept, my heart__  
__Was stolen__  
__Must hurry and get it back__  
__Or tomorrow will be here_

[**分島花音**]

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* * *

_"This cute Loli is our newest friend, Sakura-chan. She'll be watching us practice today, so make sure you give her a great performance."_

_Naruto then raised his drumsticks up and crossed them to form an 'X' shape. He then grinned goofily and yelled, "We are X."_

_Sakura giggled at his silliness. The rest of the guys were so serious but Naruto was just trying to lighten up the mood. He introduced themselves as one of the most famous visual kei bands in Japan, X Japan. Unlike the rest, she found Naruto's little joke to be funny._

_Gaara turned around to glare at the idiot behind him. Naruto tensed up and then cleared his throat._

_Sasuke sighed, "Let's just start already, __dobe__." Naruto chuckled as he turned slightly red, embarrassed that the other members were far from amused with his behavior._

_"Sorry about that Sakura-chan. We'll begin seriously now." The pinkette just giggled in reply._

_Naruto shouted, "We are __Shinobi__! The first song we'll be playing is called __Reila__."_

_Sasuke looked back and nodded toward the blonde that they were ready to go. Naruto smirked. "A one, two, three, four…." Naruto shouted as he simultaneously hit his drumsticks together._

* * *

The song began with the haunting notes of a piano. She instantly knew the song was going to be tragically beautiful.

The guitars started strumming along with those haunting notes, and she was lost.

She didn't even notice when they ended. She was so absorbed with their playing that the whole time her eyes were closed, just listening. After finally realizing how quiet it got, she opened her eyes to see that they were all staring at her.

Naruto chuckled nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Were we that bad that we put you to sleep?"

A dark blush covered Sakura's face. She shook her head and replied, "No! I didn't fall asleep… I just got so entranced with your playing that all I could focus on was the music. I tend to close my eyes when I'm listening to something… Less distractions, if that makes any sense…"

Naruto nodded his head thoughtfully. He hesitantly asked, "So what'd you think?"

She sighed and gave him a small smile, "It was really beautiful… yet really sad."

Naruto smirked, "Hear that guys? She loved it!" Sasuke rolled his eyes and started strumming some chords.

"I do have a question though…" Sakura trailed off.

"Sure, what's up?"

"How'd you guys do the piano part?" She fidgeted in her seat a bit. For some reason, she felt like she was asking them a stupid question. Since she rarely asked questions in class, because she was so bright, she felt timid whenever she did. Not to mention that all of them were extremely good looking as well.

"We play with a pre-recording," Sasuke replied as if it was something she should know by common sense. He looked utterly bored and uninterested all of a sudden. This was exactly the side of Sasuke she saw at school. This type of attitude really frustrated her. Where did the teasing and the smirks go? It puzzled her how quickly he could change behaviors.

"I'm sorry for asking, I didn't know," she quietly apologized.

"You don't have to apologize to that jerk Sakura-chan. That's no way to speak to our guest, _Sasuke_," Naruto said in a warningly tone. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and continued strumming some chords.

"Hey! Don't you ignore me, you _teme_!" Naruto stood up from his seat, waving his left drumstick around in the air.

"And here starts the ongoing arguments between dickless and emo duck," Sai smiled politely, albeit creepily, at Sakura.

Sakura laughed nervously and just nodded. Even though he sort of looked like Sasuke, he was totally different. Just from that one sentence and those fake smiles, Sakura concluded that he was kind of weird. Dickless? Emo Duck? What kind of nicknames were those?

Gaara sighed and massaged the sides of his forehead with his hands. The redhead ducked his head under the guitar strap and put his guitar on the guitar stand. He reached into the pocket of his blazer and took out a pack of _Mild Sevens_ and a lighter.

The vocalist turned to Sai, "I'll be back." Sai smiled and nodded. As Gaara passed her, Sakura looked up and made eye contact with the boy as he left the room.

She froze in her seat. His stare frightened her a bit. He seemed really angry and just from that one look, she could tell he was annoyed. She sighed after the door closed to the studio. The pinkette began to wonder how such different people were able to get together to play as a band. Naruto was so loud, outgoing, and kind. Sasuke was cold and egocentric. Sai… well, he was weird and smiled way too much. Gaara, on the other hand, always looked angry and didn't seem very approachable.

"Great, now Gaara is taking a cig break! You know what they'll do to his vocals?"

"Just shut up already dobe." Sasuke was clearly annoyed now. Like he needed something else to add to things he was annoyed with right now.

Naruto faked a hurt expression, "You can't talk to me like that."

Sai decided to add in to the conversation and smiled. "Yet he always does."

"Sai, stay out of this."

As uncomfortable as the atmosphere was, this argument was getting them nowhere. So, being the great person she was, Sakura tried to settle things down. "Um… guys?"

"Don't tell him what to do."

"You're so annoying."

"Um… excuse me? Guys?"

The dark haired bassist turned to the pinkette and glared, "Not now pinky."

"What did I say about talking to Sakura-chan like that?"

"I think you told Sasuke-kun not t—

Naruto rolled his eyes. "That was a rhetorical question Sai."

"… Guys?"

"I'm surprised you even know what the word rhetorical is _dobe_."

Sakura started counting to three in her head. She was now getting frustrated along with them. "Are you implying that I'm dumb?"

"That's enough!"

The room became silent as the three band members looked at the frustrated _ama-loli_.

Sakura sighed and turned to the bright blonde. "Uzumaki-san, thank you for inviting me to see your practice, but it's obvious that my presence is too much of a distraction. I think it would be best if I just leave so you can continue on with your rehearsal, peacefully."

She stood up from her seat, grabbed her purse and parasol, and made her way out of the studio. On her way out, she could hear Naruto calling after her.

* * *

She sighed as she exited the building. On the right side she saw Gaara exhale some smoke as he was looking out at the night sky. The green-eyed girl didn't know whether she should go over to him or not. It would be rude if she left without letting him know, she did have manners by the way. So the Lolita took a deep breath in and walked over to the redhead who was smoking his cigs.

"Gaara-san, sorry to disturb you but I'll be taking my leave. Thank you for letting me watch your practice, I hope the rest of your rehearsal goes well." She bowed to the redhead as he looked down and nodded at her. The pinkette didn't know whether to stay and wait for a response or to just take that as a hint that she should leave.

The vocalist took in another breath from the cig and exhaled out some smoke. He then dropped it on the floor and stubbed it out using his shoe.

"You should come see us perform." Sakura's eyes widened as she was taken by surprise. She didn't expect him to say anything, but yet again, she was wrong. She had to stop judging people before getting to know them. It was starting to become a very bad habit. For all she knew, Sai really wasn't as weird as he appeared to be.

"That would be wonderful." Gaara nodded before walking away. As she watched him enter back into KRH Studios, she noted that he paused at the doorway. Curious, Sakura decided to see what was up before she continued on her way back home. Apparently, he was talking to someone, but she couldn't see whom it was. The door was blocking the person from her view so all she saw was the back of Gaara's head and him holding the door partially open. After he nodded to the person, the door closed.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Sakura giggled and then she turned around to leave.

"Pinky." The pinkette scrunched her eyebrows together. So many surprises were happening in just this one-day. She turned around to find Sasuke standing there.

"What is it? I really have to go… it's getting late."

"I'll walk you to the station." He swiftly walked past her as she stood in place. He sighed as he turned around to ask, "Are you coming?"

Sakura only stared blankly up ahead and nodded. He chuckled in response as she walked towards him.

"Don't tell me you've really fallen for me?"

The _ama-loli_ scoffed, "In your dreams, Uchiha-san."

They walked side by side as they made their way towards _Meijijingumae Station_. Since it was nighttime, less people were out.

Gathering a bit of courage, Sakura decided to be frank and asked him, "So, why are you really here?"

"Hn?"

"Are you here to apologize from earlier? Naruto probably sent you. Look, it's fine. I was just burdening your practice by being there. You really don't have to walk me all the way to the station just for that."

"Che. Pinky and her assumptions."

The pinkette stopped in her tracks and stared at him incredulously. What other motive would he have other than that? She decided to give him a hard stare. He could be lying. This was way too suspicious.

"Oh really now?"

Sasuke sighed and stopped walking. "Okay, Naruto sent me."

Sakura pouted and pointed at him accusingly, "I knew it! You're too prideful to come apologize to me on your own."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Again, you and your stupid assumptions. He sent me here to give you this." He took out a ripped out piece of paper with some words scribbled on it. The dark-headed boy handed it to the girl as she went to read what it said.

_Sakura-chan,_

_Sorry for earlier! Really, it's not your fault, we always argue about something during practice. So don't blame yourself. Anyway, I just wanted to invite you to our upcoming performance. It's gonna be next Saturday night at 10pm at Bar Cafe Snootyfox. Invite Hinata-chan too! Just e-mail Karin if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!_

_~Uzumaki Naruto_

"Oh, tell Uzumaki-san thank you. I'll definitely try to make it."

Sasuke nodded and continued walking. Sakura raised an eyebrow at his act, and then ran to catch up to him.

"You're still walking me to the station?"

"A girl shouldn't be walking by herself at night," Sasuke glanced down at the cute Lolita.

Sakura pouted, "I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"Hey, I'm trying to be polite. Don't I get any credit for that?"

Sakura giggled in response, "I suppose so."

The walk was short since the station was close by. Sasuke went to sit at one of the benches that were in the waiting areas between the train tracks.

"I think I'll be alright now, you don't have to wait until the train comes."

"Hn."

The pinkette giggled again and decided to sit next to him on the bench.

"I had a lot of fun today. It was nice making so many new friends, it makes me happy," Sakura sighed in contentment. Even though it was a crazy day, with so many things happening, she was happy. She got to meet many people and experience new things. She didn't really expect it to be this way. Honestly, it was supposed to be a normal meet-up at _Harajauku_. But fate takes things into it's own hands and you never know what's really going to happen. Even though there were a lot of ups and downs, she could proudly say that she didn't regret any of it.

As Sakura smiled and thought to herself, the visual kei boy took this time to observe her. Even he had to admit that she was cute. It was strange seeing her like this, but somehow, it suited her. At school he would only see her in their school uniform with her normal black hair and black eyes. Sakura from school and this Sakura seemed completely different. Like he mentioned earlier, she wasn't what he expected. She was the absolute model student back at _Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen_. Always listened to the teachers, never broke the rules, and she was even elected to be student council president, even though ultimately, she turned down the position. She was always in the top 5 positions during exam time as well. She always had one of the highest, if not the highest, grades too. Not to say he was dumb or anything as he too placed just as high as her. She never caused any drama or was a part of any gossip as well, always so polite to everyone.

He should have expected it though. She was Yamanka Ino's best friend. When he first found out they were friends, he thought it was strange. Ino was not scared to break the rules and showed everyone that she was a _gyaru_ and proud. It was considered bad at school to have dyed hair, but Ino bleached it anyway. Sasuke shook his head. Teacher's pet Haruno ended up being just as rebellious though in a different way. Only difference was Sakura only revealed her true self in _Harajuku_. But the Lolita style definitely suited the petite girl. The pink hair complemented her flawless pale face and the green circle lenses made her eyes look bigger and overall made her look cuter.

Even though it was quite a surprise, somehow, he was glad to know her little secret. That meant that he wasn't the only one who did it. At school, although he wasn't completely dressed proper, allowing some buttons to be undone, pants to sag a bit, and tie to be done loosely, he wasn't like Ino. Like Sakura, he only let his true self out at _Harajuku_. No one knew he was a visual kei boy who played gigs in a band. It wasn't like he didn't have friends at school; he was just a bit anti social. He didn't like talking and most of the girls annoyed him. He'd rather be by himself at peace than surrounded by talkative baboons that only chased after his looks. He didn't understand how girls still had crushes on him. Sure he was a pretty face but it wasn't like he was kind to them. Maybe since he was so quiet people thought he was mysterious? Sasuke scoffed at this. People were so ridiculous at times.

"I'm a little upset though. Since my phone broke, I wasn't able to get Uzumaki-san's contact information, and now I lost Karin-san's and Konan-san's info."

"Just get a new one."

"I know, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to get it. I'm a little short on money and my parents would be so pissed off once they find out." Sakura sighed as slumped down on her seat. She had so much fun today she almost forgot about her broken cell phone. She saved up a lot of money to buy a really cute phone, but now it was gone.

"Hn."

Sakura giggled, "You don't have a wide range of vocabulary, do you?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke?"

Sakura smiled teasingly, "No, just an observation."

"You are so annoying, Pinky."

"No matter how many times you tell that to me, it's not like it's gonna change anything," Sakura said nonchalantly.

"Hn."

He just kept quiet looking down at the train tracks. Soon enough, they could hear the tracks rumble signaling that the train was arriving. Sakura got up and grabbed her stuff, preparing to board.

"Thank you again for walking me here. It was nice getting to know you," the _ama-loli _bowed to the visual kei boy before she entered through the doors of the train.

Sasuke just watched as she boarded the train. After getting inside, she turned around and smiled at him as she waved goodbye.

"Sakura."

The pinkette gave him a questioning stare. She couldn't tell what he was thinking as his bangs covered his eyes. When he looked up, he gave her his infamous smirk that made her knees jiggle and her stomach flutter. A blush spread across her pale cheeks at his handsome face.

"I'll see you at school."

Sakura's face lit up as she nodded, "_Hai_."

The train doors closed and through the glass window she waved goodbye to the handsome boy again. He waved back as the train slowly started leaving. Once he was out of sight, Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. The pinkette walked to an empty seat and plopped down. She pressed her hands against her cheeks feeling the warmth that radiated from it. The green-eyed girl then placed her hand near her heart as it was beating so erratically.

What was this feeling swelling up in her chest? Sakura wasn't so sure she wanted to find out. She was too afraid to know what the results could end up to be. The Lolita girl was getting way over her head with this. This was Uchiha-san she was thinking about. She never thought twice about him before, and once she finally talked to the boy, everything changed? It shouldn't be this way, yet she had no control of where her emotions were headed. So for now, she'll lock these feelings deep down until she wanted to figure them out.

For now, she was safe.

* * *

"What?! How come you didn't tell this to me earlier?"

Sakura gave a sigh as she went over to her desk to clean up, "We were in school Ino, we're there to learn not socialize."

Ino stood up from the bed and walked to where Sakura was. "Oh come on girl, I had to find out from Ami that this happened? Seriously? Ami? What kind of best friend are you? We're supposed to tell each other everything!"

"I was going to tell you… eventually." Sakura gave a sheepish smile as she then turned to her pile of clothes that she needed to put away.

Ino gave her friend a glare and then walked over to the bed to face her. "Yeah? Like when? A thousand years from now when we're dead?"

The _ama-loli_ stopped folding clothes to look up at her best friend. "Oh come on Ino, you know it's not like that."

"Are you joking right now?"

"Ah… what?"

The blonde stared at the Lolita suspiciously, "You have to be kidding. You can't be serious right now."

"Ino."

"He gave you a freakin' phone!" Ino yelled out as she jumped from off the bed, waving her arms in the air.

Sakura just brushed if off, trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal. "It was an old phone that he didn't need anymore. Besides, I'm going to pay him back."

"Yeah, with what? Your body?"

Sakura stared at the _gyaru_, "Ino."

The blue-eyed girl proceeded on with her rant, "Oh come on. First of all, Sasuke-kun doesn't speak to anyone. Anyone! And then all of a sudden, at school you two are acting like you're best friends. Not only did he have a conversation with you, he showed actual emotions on his face, _and_ he gave you a freakin' phone!"

"I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of this."

The _gyaru_ gave her friend an incredulous look, her mouth wide open. "Because it is! What in the world happened in _Harajuku_ that you're not telling me?"

"I told you already, I met Uchiha-san and we hung out with his friends."

"I know that girl, I'm talking about the details. Tell me the details!"

"I can't believe you're making me do this."

"Hey, nothing else exciting is happening in your life right now. This is the first interesting thing that's ever happened to you so far," Ino sighed as she plopped back down on Sakura's bed.

"Jeez, thanks Ino, I'm glad that my life is now up to your standards."

"Quit trying to avoid the subject and spill."

Sakura gave a deep sigh. "If I must."

* * *

After Ino left, of course after telling her all the details, Sakura decided to call Hinata to invite her to _Shinobi_'s performance. The girl opened the black flip phone and dialed the gothloli's number. She brought the phone up to her ear and waited as she listened to the ringing on the other line.

"_Moshi moshi_?"

"Hinata-chan? It's Sakura."

"Ah, h-hello Sakura-chan. H-How are y-you?"

Sakura smiled to herself, "I'm doing well, thank you for asking me."

"S-so what do y-you need?"

"Well, you know how Uzumaki-san and Uchiha-san are in a band?" The _ama-loli_ asked.

"_Hai_."

"Well, they invited us to go watch them perform this Saturday night and I was wondering if you wanted to join me. I also invited Ino and Tenten to come and Karin and Konan are going to be there as well."

"O-Of course. It s-sounds fun!" Hinata sounded really happy. Sakura was relieved.

"Great! So I'll just e-mail you the details for Saturday and that'll be all."

"Alright!"

"Okay, I'll see you Saturday. Bye!" Sakura said, relieved.

"Bye!"

* * *

Sakura sighed as she plopped down onto her bed.

The weekend was almost here and that meant the performance was soon. She didn't understand why she was so nervous yet excited at the same time. There were too many conflicting emotions going on inside her head.

Sakura let out a frustrated screech into her pillow. She turned on her side to stare out her window. It was really pretty outside. The stars were shining brightly and the crescent moon was out. The nighttime really reminded her of… well, you know who. An embarrassed blush spread across her cheeks just remembering what happened at school.

"_Sakura."_

_The said girl turned around and smiled, "Ah, Uchiha-san, hello."_

"_Hn."_

_The two stood in silence, Sasuke staring the girl down and Sakura fidgeting nervously in place. Somehow it seemed even more awkward talking with him at school. She then felt him lift up a strand of her black hair. She looked up to question his actions._

"_Pink hair suits you more."_

_Sakura flushed, "A-Ah, t-thank you."_

_He gave her a crooked smirk and leaned in closer. Sakura took a step back afraid of how close he was getting. She could now see how dark his eyes were. They resembled the night sky. But he was getting too close for comfort. He was so close that she could feel his breath upon her cheek. And now all she could do was stare at his lips. God knows what would happened if he got any closer. _

"_Have you fallen for me yet?"_

_Sakura jumped back a little. "Excuse me?"_

_The dark haired boy chuckled as he combed back his hair with his fingers. He looked at the girl again waiting for a better answer. Sakura opened her mouth to curse him off, but was interrupted by the screaming of her best friend, Ino._

"_Sakura!"_

_Sakura huffed, "Not now Ino, I'm busy."_

"_Stop flirting with Sasuke-kun and get over here!" Everyone that was close by started staring at the pair. Sakura groaned mentally. Leave it to Ino to cause a scene in front of everyone._

_All eyes were on her as Sakura pouted and grabbed her bag. She gave Uchiha a final glare then went off to go to the loudmouth gyaru. Sasuke, who was seen in the background, left smirking as he walked back to class._

Sakura screamed again into her pillow. Just thinking about it made her feel weird. Only this unexplainable feeling would occur with him. Why him? Why now? She still couldn't get over the fact that just a week ago, he was just a classmate and nothing more. Now, they were on a talking basis and they even acted like they knew each other for years! How could he even do that?

She never allowed anyone to become so comfortable with her so quickly. Yet he was the exception. The Lolita girl didn't like the fact that he was being set a part from everyone else. He wasn't anything special, not at all.

She sighed again as she looked at the moon. Who was she kidding? She could no longer deny what was so plainly obvious. It wasn't like she loved him, she barely even knew the boy. But that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to become infatuated. And clearly, it seemed like she was beginning to be.

She was falling hard.

* * *

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

* * *

Close: Chapter 4 Completed

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**Review please.**

~七転八起


	5. Of Friendships

Special Shout Outs: **JakuraAngel**,** nikkomilkbaby**, **fourthfireshadow**,** callmeYRIAL**, &** double1squad **for the story alerts & **nikkomilkbaby**& **hardtofathom** for the fav!

Chapter Dedication_:_ **Guest, nikkomilkbaby, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA** & **hardtofathom** for the reviews! Thank you so much!

**Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters used in this story do not belong to me. The song used below, **_**Toumei no Kagi**_**, also belongs to WAKESHIMA KANON**_**.**_

* * *

Enter: The Lolita Handbook

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(**CHAPTER 5**)

(_OF FRIENDSHIPS_)

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* * *

WELCOME!

* * *

_**Of Jumper Skirts, Tea Parties, and Lace**_

* * *

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[透明の鍵]

_While I slept, my heart  
Was stolen  
Must hurry and get it back  
Or tomorrow will be here_

[**分島花音**]

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* * *

_Sakura screamed again into her pillow. Just thinking about it made her feel weird. Only this unexplainable feeling would occur with him. Why him? Why now? She still couldn't get over the fact that just a week ago, he was just a classmate and nothing more. Now, they were on a talking basis and they even acted like they knew each other for years! How could he even do that?_

_She never allowed anyone to become so comfortable with her so quickly. Yet he was the exception. The Lolita girl didn't like the fact that he was being set a part from everyone else. He wasn't anything special, not at all._

_She sighed again as she looked at the moon. Who was she kidding? She could no longer deny what was so plainly obvious. It wasn't like she loved him, she barely even knew the boy. But that didn't mean she wasn't allowed to become infatuated. And clearly, it seemed like she was beginning to be._

_She was falling hard._

* * *

"I swear, this is going to take forever at this point," Ino sighed as she rolled onto her stomach on Sakura's bed. The _gyaru_ was flipping through a _Popteen_ magazine while occasionally looking up at the lolita who was going through her closet.

The blonde-haired girl sighed, "I'm sure whatever you choose to wear will look good on you. It's just a minor gig anyway. _Snootyfox_ is small, remember?"

"I know, it's just that…" Sakura trailed off while looking at multiple lolita outfits she narrowed her choices down to.

Ino smirked, "Sasuke-kun, right?"

Although she could only see her friend's back, the _gyaru_ knew that Sakura's face went all red. It was adorable. Whenever she brought up the visual kei boy, the _ama-loli_ would turn a light shade of pink. It was endearing, really.

Sakura turned around and glared, "N-No, why would you think that?"

"You're hopeless," the blue-eyed girl laughed at her friend's response. Sakura still acted like she was in denial about her feelings. However, since they had been friends since childhood, Ino knew how to read her. It was obvious that the pink-headed girl was beginning to accept this development that was growing between her and the Uchiha. She just didn't like voicing it out. Sakura was very reserved and kept to herself mostly, so something like infatuations and crushes were hard for her to talk about.

But Ino being Ino, she was always able to pry it out of the flustering girl. She just needed a little push every now and then. But she knew her limits—Ino would never pressure her friend too forcefully into telling her anything. Ultimately, it was all for Sakura's sake anyway.

"I just don't know. Maybe I should do a different lolita style? I have some _Gothloli_ dresses in here too. Is _ama-loli_ too much?" Sakura bit her lip as she was looking between two different dresses.

Ino raised an eyebrow. Although she was aware of the lolita fashion, she didn't know too much about the different types there were. All this talk just made her confused. Did it matter anyway? As long as Sakura looked cute, Ino didn't care if she went in a ball gown. Well, maybe not to that extreme.

The blonde scoffed, "What's the difference?"

Sakura turned around, mouth ajar from surprise. "There are many differences, mind you."

Ino rolled her eyes as she continued scanning the pages of the magazine before her. "Well, excuse me. Remember, I'm not a lolita so I wouldn't know. I only know princess lolita cause they jacked some _hime-gyaru_ stuff."

Sakura started rubbing the top bridge of her nose, "Must I go through this again?"

The pinkette turned to the _gyaru_ who was waiting for an answer. She sighed and continued on, "Gothic Lolita is what Hinata-chan wears. They wear mostly gothic-looking or dark-colored outfits. Sweet lolita, AKA me, wear lighter colors with cute themes like bunnies, cherries, and roses. You're alright so far?"

Ino nodded, boredom evident on her face. Sakura glared but continued on, "Classic lolita is a more mature look, with more muted colors and designs. Punk lolita, which is what Karin-san wears, combines the punk style and lolita. So they have a lot of safety pins, chains, and plaid in their outfits. _Wa_ lolita, what Konan-san wears, is a _kimono_-styled or _hakama_-looking lolita outfit."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "Is that it?"

Sakura sighed again at her best friend, "There's more obviously, but I won't bore you any longer. You're lucky I simplified everything. There's much more detail on what characterizes which lolita style you are, but I won't bore you with those details either."

Ino nodded in satisfaction as she closed the magazine, "Good, 'cause I don't remember anything you just said." Ino rolled onto her back while she stretched her arms and legs out.

Sakura looked at the girl and shook her head disapprovingly, "Oh goodness."

The pinkette then went back to picking out which outfit to choose from. Although she narrowed it down to five, she was still confused on if she really wanted to wear any of these choices. If she was so indecisive with the five, maybe they weren't outfits she should wear. Maybe she was actually overthinking everything. It never took her this long to decide on an outfit, so this was a first.

"Okay, maybe I am overthinking this," the _ama-loli _finally admitted. She sighed as she put back the outfits into her closet. She went to her bed and plopped down next to her best friend. Ino was now flipping through the pages of Sakura's _Gothic & Lolita Bible_ magazine.

Ino looked up at her friend and said, "Let me help you out a bit then. Wear something simple, yet elegant. Sasuke-kun has seen you in a boring school uniform and an extravagantly cute lolita dress. Why not go for a less frilly lolita outfit? Something in between, perhaps?"

"I suppose you're right. I don't want to draw too much attention since the main focus should be on _Shinobi_ and not what I look like," the lolita girl nodded in agreement. She stood back up and looked at her more casual looking outfits. "And I think I've found the perfect one."

* * *

After getting off at _Yamanote_ Line, Ino and Sakura waited at the station for Tenten and Hinata to arrive. Sakura messaged Karin earlier and the group would meet the punk lolita and Konan outside of _Snootyfox._

"Look! They're coming!" Ino shouted excitedly as she started waving to the two girls approaching them.

"Haruno. Yamanaka." Tenten nodded hello in greeting as Hinata bowed to the two.

Sakura smiled at the group, "I'm so glad you guys could make it!"

Ino rolled her eyes at the obvious, "Duh! Why wouldn't we? You need some moral support—especially with that whole 'thing' you have going on with Sasuke-kun."

"Hold up! Tell me more about this 'Sasuke-kun' character," Tenten looked at the _gyaru_ and _ama-loli_ expectantly.

Sakura held up both her hands in front of her defensively as she gave out a nervous laugh. "Well—

Ino then interrupted, "He's Sakura's crush so we need to be there to support her growing love life." Ino smirked at the _ama-loli_ who was now as red as a tomato.

Tenten smirked back as she placed her hands on her hips, "Well it's about time, Haruno! I thought you were gonna end up being a cat lady."

Hinata giggled as Sakura pouted at all the teasing being directed towards her. In an effort to draw attention away from her situation, she smiled at Hinata rather suspiciously. The _Gothloli _froze in place knowing what was coming next. She should have known this was going to end up happening.

Sakura smiled, a glint of mischief in her eyes, "But what about Hinata-chan? It's obvious that she has something with Uzumaki-san. They've been messaging each other everyday!"

Hinata jumped back in surprise as her whole body turned red in embarrassment.

"Eh? Not Hinata too!" Tenten glomped the _gothloli _into her arms.

The group of friends laughed together as they made their way towards the bar _Shinobi_ would be performing at.

* * *

When they finally arrived at _Snootyfox_, Karin and Konan were outside waiting for them as promised.

"Sakura-san! Hinata-san! It's nice to see you again," Konan greeted with a small smile as she bowed politely.

The _ama-loli _and _gothloli_ smiled at each other as they both bowed in return to the older lolita. They both admired how elegant Konan looked. Her presence alone was so charming and her face alone gave an almost ethereal look. Sakura couldn't help but stare at the _wa _lolita before her. She could only hope that one day she would be as graceful as Konan.

Karin huffed, "Well it's about time you made it. I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up. Too bad you did though…"

Konan elbowed Karin lightly in the side. "What Karin meant to say was we're happy you guys made it. We were beginning to worry that you got lost on the way."

"Ah! We're sorry for making you worry. Next time we will message you ahead of time to let you know where we are."

Konan smiled in return as she looked at the two girls behind the lolita friends she had made in _Harajuku_. Her face gave a curious expression at the unknown faces.

Sakura noticed her glances and scolded herself in her mind for not introducing her friends. "Oh! I almost forgot to introduce you guys to our two friends we brought along. This _hime-gyaru_ is Yamanaka Ino, we go to _Shibuya Gakuen_ together. And this _b-gyaru_ is Tenten, we met her through Ino."

The two _gyarus_ bowed as they said, "It's very nice to meet you."

The punk lolita and the _wa_-lolita both bowed back. "I'm Konan and this is Karin. I've never had any _gyaru_ friends before so it will be nice getting to know you two."

Tenten smirked, "Likewise."

Karin sighed as she adjusted her glasses on her face. "We should probably head inside, they should be starting soon. Plus, we should probably introduce you to the rest of the gang beforehand."

The group followed the two girls into the bar. It was a very small but cozy place. Right when you entered, the bar was in sight. On the back wall, lines of alcohol bottles and glasses where shelved along with a mirror behind the shelves. Bar stools, which were filled with guys ordering drinks, were seated in front of the black countertops. Once they turned left, long tables and chairs were placed in rows of two. All the way at the back—behind the tables—was a small stage where _Shinobi_'s instruments were set up.

On the right side of the room, Sakura saw a group of guys sitting at one of the long tables. They were a boisterous group, all drinking beer while talking amongst each other. On the other side of the room was Suigetsu—who looked like he was sleeping. His head was leaning against the upper part of the chair as his face was looking up. There was a magazine on his face too, probably to prevent people from seeing him sleep. As the group approached the two tables, the table on the right quieted down.

"Konan. Karin." An orange-haired man nodded at the two. Sakura peaked through the gaps between the girls and gasped a bit in surprise. Konan's boyfriend wasn't what she was expecting. He had spiked dyed orange hair and three piercings running down the sides of the bridge of his nose. He also had various piercings on both ears. In all honesty, Sakura felt both intimated and scared just by looking at him.

"Guys, this is my boyfriend, Pein. He is the leader of the _Akatsuki _gang. These are some of the other gang members," Konan gestured to the rest of the group, "the one on his right is Kisame."

A blue-skinned man smirked at the group, "Yo."

He really looked like a fish, having gill like markings on the sides of his face. He had dyed dark blue hair that was spiked up to give an almost fin-like impression.

"Across from Kisame, is Deidara." Ino's eyes widened at this as she whispered to Sakura, "Did she just say Deidara?"

"Next to Deidara is Sasori." This time Sakura's eyes widened as she turned to whisper back to Ino, "You don't think…"

"And next to Sasori is Itachi, Sasuke's older brother." Sakura's body perked up at the mention of Itachi. She had no clue Sasuke had an older brother since he never mentioned it to her before. A sudden wave of disappointment fell upon her at the realization of how little she actually knew about Sasuke. But that soon disappeared as Konan and Karin stepped aside to probably introduce them to the _Akatsuki_.

Ino whispered, "Oh shit."

"Ino, un?" "Sakura?!"

Both Sasori and Deidara stood up from their seats as they stared at the two girls.

Sakura looked at Ino, "Yep, we're done for."

Karin raised an eyebrow as she glanced back and forth from the two girls to the two guys, "You know these two already?"

"What are you doing here, un?" Deidara asked.

"Obviously, the same reason why you're here… _nii-chan_," Ino muttered the last part.

Ino looked almost like a complete copy of her older brother. He had the signature ponytail and bangs covering one side of his face that most Yamanaka's wore. The only difference between the two siblings was that Deidara dyed his hair a more fake yellow-blonde as opposed to Ino's platinum blonde hair. He also wore dark blue circle lenses while Ino went for a more natural blue eye color.

"Don't tell me she put you up to this again, little girl?" Sasori glared at his younger sibling accusingly. Sakura glared at Sasori's nickname for her, he used to say it with such affection but now it seemed he only said it when he was annoyed.

It had been a while since Sakura had seen her older brother, but he hadn't changed that much in appearance. He still had dyed red hair and wore his red circle lenses. The pinkette was pretty sure that her brother was supposed to be in college right now. She had no idea he had joined a gang. Unlike how her childhood was, she was no longer close to him.

Ino scoffed as she looked to the side, "Of course I didn't, it was Sakura who was the one who invited us here."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she grumbled, "Oh, thanks a lot, Ino."

The _gyaru_ smiled prettily back at her best friend. "No problem, girl!"

Sasori gave Sakura a hard stare as he said, "You're going home, right now." He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look intimidating. It obviously didn't work as Sakura showed little to no reaction to his demeanor. She wasn't leaving that easily.

Sakura returned a glare and retorted, "No, I'm not. I came here to see _Shinobi_, so I'm going to stay."

"What will mom say once she finds out you're at a bar?" the redhead smirked as if he already won the battle. Sakura was the definition of an obedient daughter. She would never go against their parent's wishes and was never one to act out of place. Going to a bar was definitely out of character for the younger Haruno sibling, Sasori narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

The _ama-loli_ gave a sickening sweet smile in response to her older brother's glare and replied, "Well, what will dad say once he finds out you're in a gang and not at university studying?"

Sasori froze at the mention of his father. Although he wasn't as obedient as Sakura, he tried his best not to mention anything he did to his parents. He fed them lies—one of them being he was doing great at uni—and they never questioned it. They never suspected a thing since his grades were practically perfect in high school. But if father found out… he would probably be disowned.

The two groups of siblings glared at each other defiantly.

"Yah! What's with all this commotion?" Suigetsu walked up to the table with a tired expression on his face. He yawned as he scratched the back of his head expecting an answer from someone.

Karin scolded in return, "You shouldn't be complaining Suigetsu! You were just on your lazy ass before, sleeping!"

"Well, isn't this interesting, a family gathering," Kisame observed the group in front of him. Although he could care less about what they were fighting about, it was interesting to find out more about Sasori and Deidara. They never spoke about their families are anything from their personal lives.

On the other side of the table, Tenten, who had a very puzzled expression on her face, and Hinata, who started fidgeting from all the yelling, watched as the siblings fought. Tired of being "out of the loop," Tenten demanded, "Can someone please tell me what's going on? You're making poor Hinata worry."

"Well, Deidara is my older brother… unfortunately," Ino grumbled.

"Hey, un!"

The pinkette sighed as she turned to her _bosozoku_ friend, "And Sasori is my older brother."

"I never asked to be you little brat." "Shut up!"

"And Kisame is my cousin!" Suigetsu randomly added.

Karin pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before she shouted, "Sit your ass down! No one asked you!"

"Says the one related to Naruto," Suigetsu muttered out as Kisame chuckled in response. They fist-bumped as Karin got redder in anger. She was about to burst and give Suigetsu a beat down when Konan held her from behind. It was best to calm down the redhead or else they would be kicked out before _Shinobi_ even had a chance to play.

Ignoring that situation, Deidara shrugged as he turned to his sister, "Whatever, as long as you don't tell our parents, I won't say nothing, un."

Ino stared at him just to make sure he wasn't lying or had any hidden motives. She nodded approvingly as she saw no signs of deceit, "Agreed."

"I won't say anything to _otou-san_, if you don't say anything to _okaa-san_." Sasori compromised as well.

The pinkette nodded in agreement, "Fine."

"Well, now that everything's settled, shut up and sit your asses down. The staff look like they're 'bout to call security," Kisame pointed out as the group glanced at the glaring staff near the doors and at the bar.

* * *

Konan went to sit with her boyfriend and the rest of the _Akatsuki_ while Karin, Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Sakura went to sit at Suigetsu's table. There were four empty chairs at the other end of the table, probably for _Shinobi_ after they finished performing.

Just then, _Shinobi_ came out onto the stage. Naruto smirked as he looked around the room. It had been a while since this many people he knew showed up at a performance. He spotted Suigetsu's table and jumped down the stage to greet everyone. The rest of the band got on stage to tune their instruments and do some final mic checks.

"Uzumaki-san!" "N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled as he saw the two girls he met at Harajuku. He said their names in acknowledgment, "Hinata-chan. Sakura-chan. I'm happy you guys made it!" The blonde then looked at the rest of the table and noticed some unfamiliar faces.

"Ah! I don't think we've met, but I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I'm the leader and drummer of _Shinobi_. It's nice to meet you!" He bowed politely as he looked at the two girls seated next to Hinata and Sakura.

Tenten raised an eyebrow and glanced briefly at Hinata. Hinata blushed as she shyly glanced down. The _b-gyaru _smirked as she looked back up at the blonde. "I'm Tenten. I'm friends with Hinata and Haruno over here."

The oshare kei boy then looked at the _hime-gyaru _who then proceeded to introduce herself, "Hi! I'm Yamanaka Ino. It's so nice to finally meet you! Hinata and Sakura talk about you guys all the time!"

"Do they now?" Naruto asked in a suggestive manner. His grin widened as he went in between Sakura and Hinata's seats.

The pinkette rolled her eyes at what he seemed to be insinuating, "It's not what you think, Uzumaki-san."

"It's okay, Sakura-chan, you don't have to hide your undying love for me. I get it."

"Eh?" She literally was dumfounded. She glanced at Hinata and she too had a confused expression on. Was he joking or was this him being completely serious?

"You too, Hinata-chan. There's enough Naruto for everyone!" He then proceeded to put his arms around the two girls as he nodded approvingly.

Karin rolled her eyes at her cousin's stupid antics, "Oh, shut it, you idiot. No one wants any piece of you."

Suigetsu smirked, "I wouldn't be talkin,' Karin. You can't even hold Sasuke's attention."

The redhead's mouth twitched as her head slowly turned to face white-headed boy, "Wanna repeat that again, Suigetsu?"

Ignoring Karin and Suigetsu's regular banter, Naruto smiled to the girls, "Anyway, I gotta head back on the stage. I just wanted to come down and say hi, but I hope you ladies enjoy the show!"

They watched as Naruto headed back onto the stage where the rest of _Shinobi _were waiting.

"_Konbanwa_. We are _Shinobi_! Before we start, we just want to thank everyone for coming out to see us. We truly appreciate it and we hope you continue to support us along the way." The whole bar gave a little cheer and clapped to encourage them.

"We'll be performing a couple of songs for you tonight, so just sit back, relax, have a drink, and enjoy the show! Our first song is _Kare Uta,* _let's go!"

Their opening song was rather impressive. It had this raw energy right from the beginning of the song that made you tap your foot. Naruto really surprised her; the drumming was so intense. She also wasn't expecting Gaara's awesome vocals. The first song they performed for her during practice was so slow and sad. This was also a sad song, but it was different. She had no idea Gaara's voice could reach those notes. Sai's guitar solo was one of her favorite parts. She could see why they chose him to be the newest member. Sasuke on the hand…

Sakura could not keep her eyes off of him. The lights were dim at the bar, but it seemed to highlight Sasuke's features handsomely. The pinkette could not help but admire him. He just exuded so much confidence while he was playing the bass. He was so calm and collected and he seemed so into the song. His presence always stood out to her and that didn't even change on stage.

Throughout their whole performance not once did she look away.

* * *

After the performance, _Shinobi _started to repack their instruments, cables, amps and so on. Suigetsu left the table to help them out while the girls talked amongst themselves. Busy chatter was going around the room, talking about _Shinobi's_ awesome performance. From what Sakura was hearing—and she couldn't agree more—_Shinobi_ were impressive for a local band.

Naruto, who had a happy grin on his face, finally arrived at the table along with Gaara and Sai following behind him. Sasuke went to his brother's table along with Suigetsu—who was annoying his cousin, Kisame—to talk, leaving the _ama-loli_ disappointed.

"N-Naruto-kun," Hinata shyly greeted the drummer. He smiled back as he sat down on the vacant chair next to her. Sai and Gaara followed suit as they took the seats of the remaining chairs.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce you guys. This is Sai, _Shinobi's_ bassist and this is Gaara, _Shinobi's_ vocalist." Gaara nodded his head at the group while Sai smiled creepily to the girls. "Guys, these are Sakura-chan's friends. The blonde _gyaru_ is Yamanaka Ino, the _b-gyaru_ is Tenten, and the _GothLoli_—the one who I was telling you about—is Hyuuga Hinata."

"It's nice to meet you," the three girls bowed to the two band members. After introductions and a round of drinks—non-alcohol of course—Naruto wanted to "break the ice." As someone who was outgoing, friendly, and energetic, any new friend that he made he wanted to get to know as soon as possible.

"So, what did you ladies think of our performance?" He wiggled his eyebrows as he asked the group of girls at the table before him.

"You guys were so awesome!"

"Mm," Hinata hummed in agreement, "You were a-amazing, Naruto-kun." She shyly glanced up at the blonde. Naruto smiled cheekily at the _Gothloli_ as he scratched the back of his head, humbled at her compliment. At his expression, Hinata could feel her face getting hot as her cheeks were tinged in pink. His smile was so bright and warm it made her heart flutter.

"I have to admit, Uzumaki, you guys were good," Tenten smirked with arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, that's because they have Sasuke-kun," Karin sighed in contentment as she stared off dreamily at the dark-headed boy who was talking to his brother at the other table.

"So, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura blinked several times as she forced herself back to reality. She could get way too lost into her thoughts sometimes. She smiled at the blonde _oshare kei _boy and giggled, "You guys put me in a trance."

"Well, I knew I was good-looking but I didn't know I was that dazzling," Naruto grinned smugly. He sauntered his way over to the _ama-loli_ and stood before her in a proud stance.

"Hn. In your dreams, _dobe_." Sasuke, who was done talking with his brother, came up from behind. He made his way over to Naruto, looking bored as ever.

Naruto smirked at his best friend's response. In attempt to get more of a reaction, he decided to fool around a bit. It wasn't everyday Uchiha Sasuke—dare he say it—reacted jealously. The _oshare kei_ boy wiggled his eyebrows again, "More like in Sakura's, if you know what I mean." He then proceeded to put an arm around said girl's shoulders.

Sasuke scoffed while glaring at the arm that was wrapped around the pinkette. Sakura, who thought the glare was being directed towards her, laughed nervously as she retorted, "Um, no offense, Uzumaki-san, but I wouldn't dream of you like that." Sakura scooted away from the blonde so his arm would fall off her shoulders. She had no idea what he was doing since it was weird he suddenly acted oddly once Sasuke arrived.

Naruto feigned a hurt expression as he held his arms against his chest, "Eh? But I thought we had a thing going on? Ya know what I'm saying?"

"Clearly not, Naruto-kun. You could tell from her perplexed expression how unlikely that is. Besides, if you had this so called "thing" with anyone, it would _clearly_ be with Hinata-san."

Naruto sputtered, "E-eh?"

The whole group, except Sai who smiled creepily, laughed as both Naruto and Hinata's faces turned a bright red. The girls proceeded to tease Hinata as she slumped lower in her seat in embarrassment. She covered her face knowing how red she looked.

"So, you're not denying it?" Sai tilted his head to the side as he observed the blonde. At this, Hinata peaked from behind her fingers, wanting to know Naruto's response.

"Ah… well…" Naruto turned to his head to the side, face still flushed red, "It's okay if you tease me, but don't bring Hinata-chan into this. Besides, I have nothing to hide, me and Hinata are friends."

"If you have nothing to hide, you might want to tell her how small the size of your pe—

"_Urusai_!" Naruto barked as he started yelling obscenities at a confused Sai.

"Ah Hinata, you really chose this idiot?" Tenten whispered as she pointed with her thumb to the blonde.

Ino giggled as she swatted the _bosozoku's _hands down. "Don't worry Hinata, I approve. I think it's cute how he's trying to protect your dignity. He's a little dense though."

The _Gothloli_ fiddled with her fingers before shyly glancing up, "He may not be the brightest, but Naruto-kun is one of the most genuine people I know. I admire his sense of determination and the confidence he has within himself."

The girls cooed at how cute she was. Sakura smiled as she looked at her friends. It's been a while since people she really cared about surrounded her. At school, she either was with Ino or she kept mostly to herself. As she looked around the room, she noticed Sasuke grabbing something from his brother. After, he headed past the bar, not bothering to tell anyone where he was going. Ino, who noticed her friend's stares, smirked mischievously.

"Why don't you follow him?" the blue-eyed girl suggested as the pinkette jumped in surprise from being caught staring. Sakura sadly looked down at the ground as her mind started drifting to thoughts of the dark-headed boy who just left the room.

"But…"

"It's alright, we'll be fine. Besides, everyone's distracted by Naruto and Sai's conversation. Go see what he's up to. It's your chance!" Ino winked. Sakura could be such a coward at times. Like said before, she just needed a push every once in a while or else she would get nowhere.

"Hey! Where did that _teme_ go?"

Ino laughed nervously as she quickly tried to take his attention away from his friends disappearance, "Oh, don't worry about him. Sakura will go get him."

"Why does that bubblegum get to go?" Karin whined as she crossed her arms across her chest. Suigetsu glanced at the redhead and started chuckling.

"It's not like he wants to see your face, anyway," Suigetsu sniggered. Karin's eye began twitching before she turned towards him. Suigetsu laughed nervously before he put his arms up in defense against Karin's angry hits.

The pinkette pouted, still a bit unsure of what to do. Ino jabbed the girl in the side with her elbow. The _ama-loli_ glared at her best friend as she rubbed her sore side from her jab. Ino mouthed out, "Just go, you _baka_."

Sakura sighed in defeat as she quietly excused herself and headed in the direction Sasuke went in.

Unknown to her, glaring red eyes were following her movements.

* * *

Sakura went down past the bar and turned left. There was a small hallway where the bathrooms were and another exit was. Curious, Sakura headed towards the exit. After opening the door, she was lead into a side alleyway where the garbage cans were placed. As she stepped outside, she turned left to find that Sasuke was out having a cig.

"You know you're going to die from those," she commented at the tall boy before her.

She observed him as he breathed out a puff of smoke, ignoring her previous comment. He breathed in another puff of smoke through his lungs before slowly blowing it out his mouth. After he was done, he stubbed the cig out with his shoe and stared back at her.

"I'm starting to think you plan all this."

Sakura looked up to see Sasuke with an arrogant smirk spread across his face. She glowered in response, "Excuse me?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, clearly amused at her reaction. "We're alone. Again."

Sakura pouted as she stared down at her feet. She found a small pebble and started kicking it around with her shoes. "Trust me, I don't like it either."

Sasuke shook his head lightly, "Hn. Again with those assumptions."

Her body perked up at what he was implying. Pink lightly dusted her cheeks as she looked up from the ground, "So, you enjoy my presence?"

He was silent for a moment. Sakura could only stare at him for an answer. She needed better clarifications because he was so vague when answering her questions. This was why he confused her all the time. Not only were his actions questionable, but whatever he said confused her as well. It was strange because he could be so blunt at times, but when he spoke with her…

"You're tolerable." He stared down at the Lolita before him. As they made eye contact, Sakura quickly looked back down at the ground again. Somehow, staring at the ground like it was the most fascinating thing in the world was more pleasant than looking at his face. Not that his face was unappealing or anything…

On the other hand, Sasuke had a small dilemma of his own. Although Sasuke wouldn't want to admit it, it would be nice to actually see her expression. He already knew she was blushing, but the feeling he got when he could actually see her whole face turn red, was quite satisfying. Her reactions seemed to peak his interest recently. But let's face it, Sakura, in general, was interesting.

Sakura nodded thoughtfully, accepting of his reply, "Well, you are as well… I suppose." There was a brief pause before Sakura turned away from the boy. She looked down the alleyway as her heart started to beat fast. Although she was nervous, she needed some answers. Mustering up some courage, she quietly asked, "May I ask you some questions?"

"Hn."

The pinkette shrugged, "I'll take that as a yes," before turning back around to face the _visual kei _boy to ask, "Why did you give me your old phone?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her question, "Does it matter?"

Her gaze quickly fell to the ground once more as she whispered, "A little…"

The dark-headed boy sighed as he combed his hair back with his fingers. Did this girl have to question everything that he did? Couldn't she just accept the nice gesture and move on with her life? It wasn't like he really understood either. He just did things without much thought. "Okay, why then?"

"Well I was talking to Ino—

"Tch." He should have known. That blonde blabbermouth _would _put ridiculous ideas into the lolita's head. Why did girls have to overanalyze every single action a guy did? He would never understand the female mind.

She continued on ignoring his reaction, "And she made some very interesting observations."

Sasuke sighed in frustration, "Go on."

Sakura pouted while hesitating to elaborate. He then turned to glare at her and she quickly began talking, "Well… you're not the most social person in school. So when we just started talking, everyone was making a buzz out of it."

"Hn. It's none of their business anyway. So?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Well, your old phone… you just gave it to me." Sakura's face turned red in embarrassment before she continued, "I appreciate the gesture but…it just seems so strange coming from you." She turned away.

"How?"

Sakura shyly glanced back at him before saying, "Well, it's rare to catch you in a conversation with someone, let alone you being kind to a complete stranger!"

Sasuke shook his head at her obliviousness, "That's where you're wrong." He walked closer to her and stood behind her before replying, "I wouldn't do that for just anyone. Those people aren't worth my time. That's why I prefer to keep a small group of friends."

Sakura's body perked up at his last sentence. "Friends?"

"Is that what's bothering you?"

Sakura grabbed the edges of her dress into her fists. She had never been this anxious talking to anyone. "Well, truthfully, yes… I just thought you were doing all these things just to be nice, just because I became friends with your group of friends. I didn't want you to do this out of obligation."

She glanced up at him but there was no reaction. He probably wanted her to continue voicing her thoughts so she continued, "You sometimes act so cold to me so I don't know how to treat you. But you've managed to help me out so much in such a short time. I wanted to pay you back. But if all this is just pretend then I don't want to seem like a bother, I have the money to pay for this—

"Don't worry about it."

Sakura's eyes widened at this, "Eh?"

The dark-headed boy chuckled at her cute reaction and smirked, "And I seriously thought you were bright."

"Hey—

"Don't you think it's obvious why I gave you that phone? Or must I keep repeating myself? If you don't get it by now, I clearly have to rethink this friendship." Sasuke turned his face away. He didn't want her to see how red his face was getting. Seriously, he hated explaining himself. He cursed at her a little in his mind. This oblivious "bubblegum," as Karin would put it, would be the death of him.

A happy glint appeared in her eyes as her face softened, "Friendship?" She tried walking in front of him to look at his face. She just wanted to know if he was serious or not.

"Hn." He kept turning his body away since he was still red in the face. If she saw him blushing… he would literally die in embarrassment.

Sakura decided to give up and just face his back. "Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke did not reply but just stood in place. She didn't mind though as she felt some type of fluttering feeling in her stomach. All these happy emotions were overwhelming her, she couldn't even think straight.

"I'm happy that I was able to talk to you at Harajuku." She then rested her head against his back as she lightly grabbed on to the back of his shirt. The _visual kei_ boy stiffened in response but did not protest. The Lolita smiled as she enjoyed the radiating warmth that was coming from him. For such a cold personality, he felt so warm. Sakura closed her eyes to enjoy the moment.

"Aa," Sasuke quietly responded before turning around to look at the girl. Her eyes gleamed happily as she gave him her brightest smile. His heart nearly stopped from such a sight. He hated to admit it, but she was so cute. This expression she had shown him, it was all because of him. No one else made her smile like that. It was Sasuke who caused that expression. He smirked in response. He couldn't explain why, but it made him feel good.

* * *

UNTIL NEXT TIME!

* * *

Close: Chapter 5 Completed

* * *

*_Shinobi_ performed _Kare Uta_ by the Gazette if you guys want to listen to what the song sounds like. It's one of my favorites by them.

I'm so sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. It was hard motivating myself, but to apologize I made sure it was significantly longer! Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed reading.

**Review please.**

~_Momo_


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